


Take A Stand

by Crewefox



Series: Take a Stand [1]
Category: Robin Hood (1973), Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Crossover, F/M, M/M, Post-Zootopia (2016), Zootopia (City)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-10 12:41:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 155,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14737146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crewefox/pseuds/Crewefox
Summary: Zootopia is gripped with civil strife over the rights of inter-species couples causing Judy and Nick to reevaluate what they mean to one another. All the while a heist gang is stealing millions from the corrupt and giving the money to the poor, it's time for Nick and Judy to take a stand for what they believe in.Full of drama, romance, exciting action and chock full of Disney cameos, I really hope you enjoy my fic. Also there in fanart throughout that were either gifted to me or I commissioned.





	1. Honesty

**Author's Note:**

> (AN/ Hi it's Garouge/Crewefox here with the newly edited version of Take a Stand done by the very kind Kage Husha, seeing as I am very dyslexic the original TAS had a lot of spelling, grammar and sentence structure problems. So if you’re new to the series this is a great place to start. Thank you so much Kage for taking time to do this, you’re a very nice individual. So without further ado let’s get cracking with the edited version of this fic…)

**Chapter 1- Honesty**

The Fox kit ran out of Jumbeaux's ice cream parlour with tears soaking the red fur of her cheeks, Judy was close behind, running after the kit and catching up to her easily. "Sweetie, stop." Judy pleaded, tears in her own amethyst eyes, putting a paw on the kit's shoulder.

The kit came to a standstill but was still sobbing heavily, "I'm sick of this!" the kit shrieked, tears falling onto her flowery summer dress "I just want things to go back to normal."

"I know it's hard at the moment, but we can get through this." Judy assured in a motherly tone, pulling the little girl into a hug.

"Tell me it's going to be ok!" she cried.

But Judy couldn't lie to the child, she knew the truth hurt but she couldn't shelter her forever. All Judy could say was "I'm sorry Luna."

**_TWO WEEKS EARLIER..._ **

"Ugh, I thought that shift would never end." Judy groaned as she pulled into the underground parking lot of ZPD's Precinct 1.

"Do my ears deceive me? But did Officer Fluff just say she disliked serving the mammals of Zootopia?" Her partner, the ever charming Nick Wilde, teased from the passenger seat, "For shame, Carrots, for shame."

"Very funny Nick," Judy brushed off as she parked the squad car, "but even you have to admit today's patrol was boring. Actually, this last week has been a complete snore."

"It just means the ZPD is good at its job, I mean aren't you always saying we should make the world a better place? News flash Carrots; it's a better place." Nick replied, taking off his aviator sunglasses and tucking them into his breast pocket.

"Yeah, but I miss the buzz of chasing after a crook or looking for clues." Judy responded, switching off the engine.

"Well, you've jinxed us now." Nick sighed playfully as he unfastened his seatbelt and got out of the car.

"Oh really?" Judy smirked dubiously as she hopped down from her specially elevated seat.

"Just you watch, sweetheart; come Monday morning Bogo's gonna swamp us with a mountain of case files." Nick smiled, walking towards the stairs with his shorter partner following beside him.

"That sounds like heaven." Judy said with a hopeful voice.

Nick let out a little chuckle before saying, "You and me have very different ideas of heaven, Carrots."

It had just been over a year since Nick had graduated the academy and already he had become an integral part of Precinct 1. Nick was a joker and a trickster, but he had a big heart and was never too busy to help a fellow officer. He had the charm and intelligence that fresh rookies looked up to and street wise experienced cops respected; Judy was absolutely right when she said Nick would make a good cop. Judy's mind wandered as they made their way up the concrete stairwell to the ground floor. ‘ _Has it already been a year? Wow; where did the time go? Oh yeah now I remember; working, exercising and hanging out with Nick…but just hanging out.’_ Judy glanced up at Nick briefly as her mind continued its wandering. ‘ _Stop it Judy, he's your best friend and your partner, don't screw it up. Besides you don't even now that he's into interspecies dating and even he is, is he into me?’_

She was brought back out of her thoughts when Nick asked "So, are you coming out with me and Clawhauser for a drink?"

"Sorry, but I've already got plans, it's Francine's bachelorette party tonight." Judy replied with a little flicker of excitement in her voice.

"Oh yeah, I remember you saying. How many of you are going again?" Nick asked, as they made their way through the main lobby.

"Nine of us from the precinct and her two sisters, we're hitting the clubs downtown, should be a good night." Judy answered, smiling.

"Just go easy on the booze, will ya'? You can be a little crazy on a big night out." Nick cautioned.

"Pfft, when have I ever gone crazy whilst I was out partying?" Judy scoffed.

"Clawhauser's birthday last month," Nick reminded her dryly.

"That was one time." Judy played down.

"New Years Eve," Nick pointed out.

"Everyone else was drunk too." Judy made an excuse, the skin on the inside of her ears blushing slightly.

"The night I graduated from the academy." Nick added with a grin.

"Well…Ok, I admit I can go a little overboard." Judy reluctantly admitted.

"Just promise me you'll eat something before you go hitting the vodka," Nick said, noticing the night shift cop was at the front desk, meaning Clawhauser was probably in the locker room, "and drink a bottle of water between every three drinks."

"Yes, Dad," Judy replied jokingly. "Say, you doing anything tomorrow? We could catch a movie?"

"Maybe in the evening, I’ve got to go see someone in the daytime." Nick answered.

"Anyone I know?" Judy asked, a little curious.

"Nah, you wouldn't know her." Nick replied absentmindedly.

_‘Her?’_ Judy thought with a little pang of jealousy hitting her in the stomach "Oh." She sounded as she stopped in her tracks.

Nick turned and noticed the strange look on his best friend's face for a few seconds and was about to say something when an excited shrill of "Judy!" could be heard across from the precinct lobby. The pair turned to see a gleeful lioness officer jogging over to them.

"Hey Nala," Judy greeted, grateful for the feline's interruption in the awkward moment.

"Me and the girls are getting ready to prank Francine in the locker room, you coming?" The giddy Lioness asked. Nala Priderock had graduated with Nick and had been assigned to Francine as her partner. The 28 year old was competitive and a trickster like Nick, so when she heard Francine was getting hitched she had been concocting schemes to prank her partner with.

"Sure," Judy replied before turning to Nick and saying "I'll text you tomorrow."

As Judy made her way to the female locker room Nick shouted after his partner, "Remember Carrots; food before booze." He got no response as Judy and Nala entered their locker room. Nick let out a worried sigh and made his way to the male locker room. ‘ _What was with that look she gave me?’_ Nick thought as he opened the door to the locker room ‘ _Did I say something to tick her off?’_ But his train of thought was broken as he came to his locker to see Benjamin Clawhauser on the bench beside the lockers with his head in his paws quietly sobbing, "Spots?" Nick asked, his voice concerned whilst making his way over to his friend.

Clawhauser looked up from his paws with big watery eyes and sniffed, "Nick?"

"What happened?" Nick asked in a soothing tone. He really was worried; he had never seen the ever happy cheetah so upset before.

"It's nothing." Clawhauser tried to brush off, wiping away his tears.

"You can't kid a kidder, Benny my boy." Nick called on the fib.

Clawhauser gave a defeated grunt before saying "Fine I'll tell you, but first I need drink."

000

Twenty minutes later Nick and Clawhauser were sat at the bar of the 'Champion' pub, a sports pub not far from the precinct that was a favoured watering hole for Zootopia's finest. Clawhauser and Nick were out of their uniforms and in their usual duds; the cheetah dressed in a black t shirt and jeans whilst the fox was in his trademark green Hawaiian shirt, purple striped tie and beige trousers. It was only 7pm so the place wasn't lively yet, the only other people in the bar was the owner Gina 'Gompers' Ramirez, a goat with brown fur and too many ear piercings and her faithful bouncer William 'Waddles' Pines, a tough looking pig was hanging around by the door texting on his phone.

"So, are you going to tell me what's eating you, Spots?" Nick asked, taking a swig from his pint of Pilsner.

"I just had a rough day." Clawhauser tried to dismiss, nursing his own beer.

"But you love your job on the front desk, what happened? Did a perp say something to you?" Nick asked, trying to figure out what had made he friend so depressed.

"It happened before work, before I even left the house." Clawhauser sighed before taking a small sip of his drink.

"Come on Benny, you can tell me and if I can help, I will." Nick offered.

Clawhauser gave a sideways glance with his sad eyes and muttered "I appreciate the offer Nick, but I don't think anyone can help."

"Try me." Nick gave a reassuring smile.

Clawhauser knew his friend wasn't going to drop the issue, so he decided to spill the beans after another sigh, "I broke up with my boyfriend this morning."

Nick saw the pain on Clawhauser's face and replied sincerely, "I'm sorry."

"So am I." Clawhauser responded before taking a glug of beer.

"I mean me and Judy guessed you were dating someone, but you never said anything about this guy." Nick continued.

"Believe me, I wanted to tell you and Judy, I wanted to tell all of my friends and my Dad, but I couldn't." Clawhauser regretted.

"But why?" Nick asked, perplexed.

"This guy wasn't public about his sexuality, I was his little secret." Clawhauser replied bitterly.

"Why did you even go out with a guy like that? I mean, you've always been open about who you are, so why'd you date someone who wasn't even honest with himself?" Nick asked, feeling the urge to punch the guy who hurt his friend.

"Because I had a crush on this guy for two years before we started dating." Clawhauser answered, ticked off at himself, "When we started out, I thought I was the luckiest mammal alive and now I feel like the unluckiest."

"I'm so sorry, Benjamin." Nick apologised.

Clawhauser turned to look at the fox, knowing it was rare for Nick to call anyone by their first name; it was always a nickname. Clawhauser cracked his first smile of the day and said, "Thanks Nick."

"So, who is this Cheetah?" Nick asked with curiosity.

Clawhauser looked uncomfortable for a moment before answering in a quiet voice, "He's not a Cheetah."

"Ok." Nick reacted, not surprised, which in turn surprised Clawhauser.

"That doesn't shock you?" Clawhauser asked, a little confused.

"You're not the only one who dates people outside of their species." Nick assured with a grin, taking another sip of beer.

"Glad to know I'm not the only one at ZPD, well at least publicly." Clawhauser commented.

"A-ha! That means your ex boyfriend is a cop." Nick deduced, smug as ever.

"…Dang it." Clawhauser grumbled before trying to change the subject, "So you're an 'Inter' to huh?"

"What's an 'Inter'?" Nick asked, letting Clawhauser play his hand.

"That's what we call ourselves and the media have taken a shining to the name too. So, are you dating some pretty lady that isn't quite vulpine?" Clawhauser asked with a slightly teasing voice.

"Nah, not at the moment, and my last girlfriend was a Fox but that ended very, very badly. But my first few girlfriends weren't." Nick commented.

"And you're open with being an 'Inter'?" Clawhauser asked.

"Yeah, I saw no reason to hide it. My Mom was cool with it, I got teased by friends for a while, but that died down." Nick explained.

"Does Judy know?" Clawhauser asked further.

"She never asked." Nick shrugged off.

"Nick." Clawhauser huffed with disappointment.

"What?" Nick sounded, but he knew what the feline was hinting at.

"Don't you think that's something you should share with her? I mean, if she knows you're into different species, you two could be together." Clawhauser pointed out.

"And here I was thinking we were talking about you and your mystery ex." Nick gave a sly smile.

"Stop dodging the topic." Clawhauser said, sounding serious.

"You first," Nick rebuffed, the two stared at each other for ten or so seconds before Nick stole a look at the clock above and idea popped into his head, "Hey Spot's see that clock?"

Clawhauser looked up at the clock that read 7.09 pm and said, "What about it?"

"I'll make you a deal. When the clock hits 7.10, you can ask me whatever you want until 7.15." Nick offered with his usual charm.

"But?" Clawhauser sounded, knowing there was a catch.

"Then until 7.20, I get to ask you anything, ten minutes of honesty. What do you say?" The ex-conman smirked.

Clawhauser weighed up his options as he watched the seconds tick closer and closer to ten past seven before finally submitting, "Deal."

"Ok, shoot. I won't hold back." Nick grinned.

Clawhauser went straight for the juicy question. "Do you like Judy romantically?"

 Nick predicted he would ask this,i but still begrudgingly answered "Yes."

"I knew it!" Clawhauser squealed with delight, finally sounding like his usual joyful self. "WildeHopps has hope!"

"WildeHopps?" Nick queried, signalling Gina to pour them two fresh pints.

"Yeah, that's what your shippers call you." Clawhauser purred, finishing off his pint. "Well, Nala and I call you two that."

"So, Nala wants me and Carrots to hook up too?" Nick asked, a little surprised, since the lioness didn't seem like a romantic.

"Don't distract me; I have more questions," Clawhauser replied, "So, why haven't you asked her out yet?"

"A few reasons," Nick admitted "I guess the number one reason is I don't know if she's into other species."

"And?" Clawhauser pressed, knowing there was more.

"There's the age gap; I'm thirty three and she's twenty five." Nick answered, picturing Judy's youthful face.

"And yet she's so much more mature than you." Clawhauser teased. "So, what's the third reason?"

Nick paused and thought about his answer before saying in a vulnerable voice, "She's the best thing in my life. She changed my life…and I'm scared that if I make a move she'll disappear from my life completely, or even worse, it will be this constant awkward air that hangs around us forever."

"Yeah, that would be awful." Clawhauser sympathised before adding another question "So, when did you know? That you liked her?"

"Liked or Loved?" Nick asked back

"You love her?!" Clawhauser gasped, nearly spilling his beer.

"Come on, Spots, of course I love Carrots." Nick said, trying to calm his friend down. The sudden outburst from the feline caused a puzzled look from Gina behind the bar.

"So, when? Come on, I need details!" Clawhauser encouraged.

"It was whilst I was at the academy, the day before the final exam," Nick recalled, smiling at the memory, "I was in my bunk, nervous as hell and too worried to fall asleep, that's when I get a text telling me to look outside my window.  I peek outside and there's Officer Fluff in the parking lot. I go out to meet her and she leads me to the obstacle course and we just talked, she calmed my nerves and that was it. I saw her eyes, those purple, no, amethyst eyes look at me with such kindness I never got from anyone outside my family. I always had a crush on Carrots, but at that moment I knew I was doomed; I had fallen in love."

"Awwww." Clawhauser cooed "But you're not doomed, Nick."

"I'm in love with my best friend and I'm terrified if I make one move she'll disappear from my life forever, so I reiterate; I'm doomed." Nick hammered home.

"Judy likes you. I mean it's so clear to see." Clawhauser reasoned, "I mean, you fight like a married couple, you talk like best friends, you flirt like first loves, and protect each other like siblings. Obviously, it's meant to be."

Nick gave a frown and replied "You got that from the internet."

"It doesn't make it any less true." Clawhauser grinned.

Nick looked up at the clock and let out a little chuckle when he saw it read 7.15, "Time's up Spots; time for me to interrogate you." He sniggered.

The Cheetah let out an audible 'Humph' and said "Go on then," Knowing the first question that was going to come out of Wilde's mouth.

"Who's your mystery ex boyfriend?" Nick asked, taking hold of his fresh pint that Gina just put in front of him before giving Clawhauser his beer.

"Mason." Clawhauser said, his voice soaked with sadness.

"Who the heck is Mason?" Nick asked, sipping his beer whilst trying to think of a cop called Mason in the precinct.

"Mason Bogo." Clawhauser revealed, looking into his drink.

Nick's eyes grew wide with shock, he spurted the beer he had in his mouth all over the bar and barked with disbelief "The Chief!?"

"Nick what the hell?!" Gina chastised, grabbing a washcloth and began to wipe away the spat out beverage, "I just cleaned up this place."

"Sorry Gompers, I just got surprised is all." Nick apologised and defused before turning back to Clawhauser and harshly whispering, "You were dating Bogo?"

"Yeah," Clawhauser answered in a tone which was both shy and woeful.

"He's gay? He's Inter?" Nick asked quietly with a shocked voice.

"He's in the closet." Clawhauser pointed out the obvious.

"No shit, so why the hell were you with him?" Nick asked, wondering why his friend would ever be in a relationship with someone who wasn't open about their sexuality.

"Because I was in love with him long before we started seeing each other." Clawhauser let the truth come to light.

"But how...when?" Nick asked in quick succession, hungry for answers.

"Just over a year ago at the Gazelle concert. Do you remember seeing me and Mason there?" Clawhauser asked, his eyes staring into space as he envisioned him and Bogo dancing together.

"Yeah, but I thought it was just a coincidence." Nick figured.

Clawhauser let out a tiny smile before recalling, "I was at the front desk back at the precinct, Bogo walked by the front desk and dropped off some case files for me to send down to archives, but as I flicked through them I found a ticket for the Gazelle concert with a post it note on it saying 'Dance with me - M.B', I thought I was dreaming. That night, I went to the concert and I spotted him right away, he looked at me and smiled…he smiled Nick, do you know how special that made me feel?"

"You must have felt on top of the world, Benny my boy." Nick guessed, noting the mournful tint in his friend's voice.

"I was, we both were. We danced through that whole concert and afterward…." Clawhauser drifted off, growing shy.

"And afterward..." Nick pressed.

"We went back to my apartment and we spent the night together." Clawhauser sheepishly confessed.

"So, what happened? If you both liked each other why did you have to split up?" Nick asked, a question he knew would hurt Clawhauser, but he needed to know.

Clawhauser let out another loud sigh before elaborating "He always stayed at my place, never at his to avoid the media getting wind of our relationship. It had been like this for year: secret dates, sneaking off during lunch hour and staying at my place…I was getting sick of it. I wanted Mason to meet my Dad, I told him my Dad was supportive of who I was and wouldn't care about me dating a buffalo, but he didn't see it the same way."

"What happened?" Nick asked, needing to know.

"He laughed at me." Clawhauser whispered letting a tear fall from his eye.

"He did what?!" Nick let out a quiet growl, baring his fangs.

"Mason…Bogo laughed at me, he said that our relationship wasn't serious, that it was just sex, that there was no way he'd ever go public about being with me." Clawhauser revealed.

Nick was silent for a few seconds, letting the rage burn for a moment before saying in a still but angry voice, "That bastard, what happened next?"

"What did you expect to happen? I marched over to him and said 'Either we go public or it's over' and then…t-then…." Clawhauser began to choke up with tears.

"Then what?" Nick asked with strange combo of sympathy and simmering anger.

"He threw the spare key I gave him on the kitchen table and left without a word, he just left." Clawhauser sobbed quietly before taking another glug of the Pilsner.

"Benjamin, look at me," Nick instructed, sounding serious. The spotted cat proceeded to look at him as Nick continued "that pile of crap isn't worth your tears. You are an amazing guy and out there in this crazy city is a man you deserve; not Mason Bogo."

"But I love him, Nick," Clawhauser choked, "it hurts so much."

"Love's a two way street, Spots. It feels great while you're driving along, but it can hurt like hell when you hit oncoming traffic." Nick tried to be poetic.

"Not your best analogy." Clawhauser let out a sad smile.

Nick proceeded to raise his glass and announce, "To love; the biggest punch in the gut you can get."

Clawhauser raised his own pint and gave a woeful grin "To love."

000

Nick and Clawhauser had three more pints after that, not enough to be drunk but definitely not safe to drive. Clawhauser caught a cab home, whilst Nick walked back to his bachelor pad getting a cricket burger along the way; the long work day had finally got to him and he decided to brush his teeth and head straight to bed where he slept soundly like a little fox kit….until 5.13 am. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. The unmistakeable sound of his apartment door knocking shocked Nick out of bed. Nick quickly put on his trousers that he’d left lying on the wood flooring and rushed out into the hallway to the front door He looked through the peep hole to see a familiar face; it was Officer Delgato, a big burly Lion from the ZPD, Nick remembered he had been assigned to night shift this week. He quickly opened the door to his colleague and asked with a yawn, "Delgato? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry Wilde," Delgato opened before looking down, "but I can't throw her in the drunk tank." Nick followed the Lion's gaze and felt a mix of amusement, embarrassment and worry all in one second. Handcuffed to Delgato's wrist was Judy, her eyes barely open, swaying to and fro, reeking of alcohol, and dressed in a black skirt with a pink t shirt with the words 'Francine's bachelorette entourage!'. And to top it off, there was a small orange traffic cone placed on her head.

"Heeeeey N-nick, look at me, I'm the vodka wiiiiitch!" Judy slurred, flaying her hands like she was casting some spell.

"Oh, what fresh hell is this?" Nick groaned.


	2. What's worse than a hangover?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy wakes up on Nick's sofa with the worst hangover ever and with no idea how she got there, luckily Nick is there to explain everything in hilarious detail.

** Chapter 2- What's worse than a Hangover? **

Most mammals are woken up by a sound or someone gently shaking their shoulder, but this morning Judy Hopps was awoken by a smell, a scent that she knew all too well and one that made her heart beat just a little bit faster every time she sniffed it: violets. That was the scent she smelt and since she grew up in a family where plant husbandry was essential she knew it the second her nose came into contact with it. However, violets bore a very strong resemblance to red fox musk whereas arctic foxes' musk was clearly vanilla. Judy breathed in the smell of violets and muttered in a barely audible voice "…Nick." But as soon as she spoke all of her others senses came crashing into focus like some horrible car wreck. She fluttered her amethyst eyes open only to snap them shut when the burning light hit them. Her usually silky soft grey fur felt sweaty and rough, all she could hear was irritating ringing in her ears, likely an after effect of the loud nightclubs last night, and all she could taste was the lingering and disgusting flavour of vomit. But all of that paled in comparison to the agonizing jack hammer sensation of her pulsing headache. "Oh sweet cheese and crackers, not again." the hung over rabbit groaned with regret. Judy dared to open one eye to get a grasp of where she was. Thankfully, she recognised that she was lying on the sofa in Nick's apartment. With great effort she turned her gaze to the coffee table in front of her where a plastic bucket was placed, a bottle of water and a pack of aspirin. Judy saw the aspirin and instantly thought ‘ _Thank heavens!’_ Although, when she sat up she noticed she was not dressed in her normal pyjamas but in one of Nick's ghastly green shirts and only that. In a panic she peeked under the shirt to realise she was wearing no underwear. "Where are my panties?!" She gasped loudly, resulting in a surge of pain from her headache.

"In the dryer," A smug voice answered.

Judy looked across the open plan living room/kitchen to see Nick standing at the kitchen counter holding a mug of coffee. He was dressed in a pair of black sweatpants and a navy 'ZPD' t shirt and on his face was the most satisfied smirk Judy had ever seen. "N-Nick, what am I doing in your apartment?" Judy asked through a strained and painful haze.

Nick giggled before saying, "Oh Carrots have I got a tale for you."

6 HOURS EARLIER….

"Sorry Wilde," Delgato opened before looking down "but I can't throw in her in the drunk tank." Nick followed the Lion's gaze and felt a mix of amusement, embarrassment and worry all in one second. Handcuffed to Delgato's wrist was Judy, her eyes barely open, swaying to and fro and reeking of alcohol. She was dressed in a black skirt with a pink t shirt with the words 'Francine's Bachelorette Entourage!', and to top it off there was a small orange traffic cone placed on her head.

"Heeeeey N-nick, look at me, I'm the vodka wiiiiitch!" Judy slurred, flaying her hands like she was casting some spell.

"Oh what fresh hell is this?" Nick groaned.

"Wolford and I found her in Sahara Square chasing down and trying to arrest a Wallaby for pick pocketing. Luckily the Wallaby ran right into me and I cuffed him, but I still had this little grey party animal to contend with." Delgato explained. "Wolford's outside ready to take the Wallaby to lock up, but I need to get rid of this witch."

"Are yo-ou guys talk-HIC-ing about meeeee?" Judy hiccupped, almost stumbling over.

"I'm sorry Nick, but I couldn't just leave her like this and your apartment was closer than hers." Delgato apologised, uncuffing Judy from his wrist.

"No, you did the right thing bringing her here, I owe ya buddy." Nick thanked the tall lion as he gently placed his paw on Judy's shoulder and guided her into the apartment.

"Good luck Wilde, you're going to need it." Delgato said as he walked back down the hallway.

Nick closed the door and turned to Judy with a sigh, "You didn't take my advice about drinking water and food before booze, did you?"

"Nope!" Judy replied with the cheekiest grin she could pull, still swaying.

"What happened to the others? Why were you on your own?" Nick asked, sounding more like a parent telling off their child than a best friend.

"Well DAAAAD! We were in a n-nightclub and I spotted this Wallllllllaby stealing stuff off drunk mammals HIC! And I was all like 'Uh-uh not on my w-watch' so I chased him outside until we bumped into Delgato and Wolford." the drunk Judy recalled defiantly.

"Even when you're partying, Officer Fluff is still on duty." Nick couldn't help but smile. "What's with the traffic cone?"

"I told you, I'm the v-vodka witch!" Judy announced in an overly dramatic voice, "And this is my witch's hat."

"Where did you get it?" Nick asked, going over to the fridge and retrieving a bottle of water for Judy.

"Ummmm…I can't remember." Judy slurred.

Nick shook his head and handed Judy the bottle of water and said "Drink up, Carrots."

"Why?" Judy asked, unscrewing the cap and taking a good glug.

"Because you're going to feel worse when you wake up if you don't. Now drink that and then you're going to sleep." Nick said, still half asleep "I'll get you a pillow and a blanket."

Judy pounced suddenly and wrapped her arms around Nick's chest "But Niiiiiiiick, I don't wanna go to sleep yet!" Judy whined like a small child "Let's order take out!"

"It's nearly 5.30 am." Nick pointed out, successfully hiding his embarrassment of having Judy so close to him.

"Breakfast takeout, then!" Judy giggled before burying her face into Nick's furry chest "Mmm, soft." She said dreamily.

"Uh, Carrots?" Nick sounded, losing his composure slightly.

Judy continued to rub her face into Nick's chest before taking a big old sniff. So she looked up at the flustered Nick with a mischievous glint in her eye and said "I'll make you a deal, I w-will go to sleep if you are my pillow."

"Well, Um, I, eh, that wouldn't…" Nick babbled in an uncharacteristic manner.

But before another word could be uttered, Judy let go of Nick and ran towards the bathroom with her paw covering her mouth. She was barely out of Nick's sight when he heard her wretch and gag. Nick dashed after her and nearly stepped in a puddle of barf. He was met with a scene of Judy, with her head in the toilet, throwing up and the traffic cone that was on her head was now tossed on the white tiled floor. However, there were also other little puddles of vomit from where she’d missed the toilet. Nick tip toed over the barf and knelt beside Judy and held back her ears so she wouldn't get them covered with sick, as she wretched. Nick also noticed that she had thrown up all over her clothes; he rolled his eyes and said "Well this is a pleasant wake up call."

"I'm sorry Nick." Judy panted; even though she was blind drunk Nick could tell she was being sincere.

"It's alright, Carrots." Nick assured. It was another ten minutes before Judy finished vomiting. Nick handed her a pair of his boxers and his favourite green shirt for her to change into since there was no way he was going to let her sleep in barf soaked clothes. However, whilst Nick was setting up the sofa for the inebriated bunny to sleep on, Judy wandered back into the living room wearing the shirt, but it was unbuttoned, leaving her naked form on show

"Thanks for lending me this." Judy gave a sozzled smile.

Nick turned to see her and nearly had a heart attack. There she was, the mammal he loved most in the world, naked and alluring…and way too drunk. Nick did the right thing and turned his back to her and nearly shouted "Judy, why aren't you dressed properly!?"

"Well, the boxers kept falling down and I can't button this damn shirt." Judy replied, seemingly not caring that her body was exposed. "Nick can you help button this?"

"What?!" he squeaked like a nervous teenager.

"I'm too tired and too hammered to do it…plus you get a free peep show." Judy teased in a drunken, yet sultry, voice.

"Judy." Nick breathed. This was getting too much; he could feel the skin under his fur heating up. ‘ _Just do it Nick, just help her get dressed and put her to bed’_ he told himself. Nick quickly went over to the drunken bunny and swiftly fastened the buttons on the shirt.

"Thanks." She grinned before going over to the sofa and crashing onto it. She positioned the pillow under her head and whispered "Night Nick."

Nick put a blanket over her and whispered back, "Goodnight, sweetheart." And walked away with his heart still racing and picturing Judy's beautiful body as he left the room. He thought  maybe cleaning up the mess in bathroom would calm him down

NOW…

"No," Judy uttered, unsure of what she would die of first; her hangover or her embarrassment. "Yes." Nick smirked, pouring Judy a cup of coffee.

"No, no, no." Judy groaned, covering her eyes with her long velvety ears.

"Oh yes, yes, yes." Nick smiled smoothly, placing the coffee mug on the table in front of her alongside the aspirin, water bottle and bucket.

"Delgato cuffed me, I had a traffic cone on my head, I tried to use you as a pillow, threw up everywhere and I…I strutted around naked…kill me now." Judy whined, the thumping ache in her head was growing worse and worse.

"That's the top and bottom of it Fluff." Nick summed up.

"I am so sorry Nick, let me drink this coffee then I'll clean up the mess I made." Judy offered, wanting to atone for being such a pain.

"Already done Carrots," Nick eased, "Listen, take the aspirin, enjoy your coffee and I'll make you a hangover cure breakfast after I have a shower, how does that sound?"

Despite feeling rubbish and gross, Judy softly smiled at her dumb fox and replied shyly "That sounds great…and thanks, you know, for taking care of me."

"Anytime, Vodka Witch." He joked before heading off to the now clean and vomit free bathroom.

Judy picked up the bottle of aspirin and retrieved two tablets, popped them in her mouth and washed them down with a huge swig of water from the bottle Nick left out. ‘ _He's so nice’_  Judy's mind wandered as she picked up the mug of coffee and breathed in the deep comforting smell of the beverage, ‘ _He could've called me a cab and sent me home but no, he took care of me, he held my ears back when I was sick, he put my clothes in the laundry, made sure I was hydrated, left out aspirin for me…Nick, why are you so good to me? Is it because we're partners, friends? Or is it more? Stop it Judy, just drink your coffee’._ Judy's train of thought often travelled to this subject and it always made her confused and melancholy. Plus it hurt to think at this moment of time with her hangover. She shook off the thought and decided to distract herself, so she picked up the TV remote resting on the arm of the sofa and turned on the TV. The TV screen lit up and showed the ZNN channel, the smartly dressed Snow Leopard news anchor Fabine Growley and her Moose co-anchor Peter Moosebridge sitting at the desk reading off the latest developments in the city.

" _And our top story this morning is the 5 million dollars was stolen from a security van in Tundra Town last night during a daring heist,_ " The Snow Leopard read out, the news of the crime made Judy's ears stand up _"but in a surprising twist, the assailants proceeded to throw all the money off the tallest building in Tundra Town's most impoverished neighbourhood. This is believed to be the work of the M.M gang, who have committed two similar crimes in last couple of weeks. We've reached out to the ZPD for a commen,t but declined to release a statement."_ Judy let out a "Hmm" noise upon hearing that last sentence. It seemed odd to her that Chief Bogo wouldn't release a statement on such a high profile case, but her head hurt too much to dwell on it.

" _In other news, two high profile public figures have declared they are running for mayor,"_ Moosebridge announced, a picture of an elderly tanned fur Wolf and a younger Wolverine showed up above the newsreader's shoulder " _seasoned councilman and civil rights campaigner Trevor Moon and the young District Attorney Raymond Bastille have both thrown their hats into the ring with the election just four months away. Zootopia's citizens are eager to see a new mayor elected since the city has been without a mayor since the Night Howler incident."_

KNOCK KNOCK!  
The sharp rasping knock at the front door felt like a hammer blow to Judy's already splitting head. She got up off the sofa with a pained and peeved expression on her face and made her way to the door.

KNOCK KNOCK! The visitor repeated, sending another jolt of pain through her cranium "Oh sweet cheese and crackers, I'm coming, jeez, give me a sec." she shouted her frustration, wanting the mammal on the other side to know she was pissed. She unlocked the door and turned the handle, but when she opened the door Judy felt a few feelings wash over her; surprise, confusion and jealousy. There in the doorway stood a red furred vixen who looked to be in her late thirties to early forties and she was stunning; her fur was well groomed and shiny, she had navy blue eyes and was dressed in a black leather jacket with a lilac blouse underneath and wearing grey skinny jeans. To top it off, she wore a purple choker with a glimmering sapphire at its centre. As you may guess, quite a few thoughts raced through Judy's mind; ‘ _Who is this is? Oh my gosh, she's gorgeous! Is she Nick's girlfriend? Is this the woman he was supposed to meet today?’_ But before she could think anymore or even say a word, something Judy wasn't expecting happened.

The Vixen rushed in and wrapped Judy in a tight hug, surprising the Bunny. "It's you." The Vixen smiled, pulling back to see the bewildered look on Judy's face "So you're Judy, it is so nice to finally meet you, my dear."

All the emotions Judy was feeling could only be voiced as an "Uhhh."

"Rough night dear?" the Vixen asked in warm voice, getting up and walking into the kitchen area "Never you mind, I'll rustle you up some breakfast."

Judy followed the Vixen into the kitchen and watched with confusion as the red furred beauty got the frying pan out of the cupboard, placed it on the stove and poured some olive oil into the pan. ‘ _She knows where everything is, so she's been here before, has she spent the night here before?’_ Judy's mind racked, her hangover making everything seem hazy. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" Judy asked, letting her jealousy peek out a little in her voice.

"Oh wherever are my manners; I'm Marian." The Vixen smiled kindly, seemingly not noticing Judy's icy stare or tone. Judy noticed Marian's accent wasn't local but it was very refined and fancy.

"And how do you know Nick?" Judy questioned, crossing her arms and trying to look intimidating.

Marian let out a little titter before opening the fridge and retrieving some veggies "Let me guess, Nick hasn't told you about me? It's to be expected really; he's always been guarded when it comes to his personal life." Marian explained, grabbing the chopping board and a knife from a nearby draw.

Judy was about to probe further when Nick appeared from the hallway and gasped "Mom!"

"Morning my little kit," Marian beamed.

"Mom?" Judy uttered, her eyes darting between Marian and Nick. There was no way this Vixen was old enough to be Nick's mother. Her ears went droopy as she looked back at Marian and asked anxiously, "You're Nick's Mom?"

"Did I not say that? I'm sorry, my dear, I thought I did," Marian apologised, stepping over to the stunned Judy "let me try again; hello I'm Marian Wilde, Nick's mother."

"I'm so sorry, ma'am!" Judy said quickly and with dismay "I didn't know who you were."

"Sorry? Whatever for?" Marian asked, grinning slightly at the panicky rabbit.

"I was so rude when you knocked the door and afterwards. I'm sorry Mrs. Wilde." Judy rushed an apology, nervously tugging on one of her ears.

Marian let out another gentle laugh before saying, "My dear Judy, you have nothing to be sorry about, and it's Miss not Mrs actually, so don't call me Miss, it makes me feel old. It's Marian."

 _‘Old, are you kidding me? She looks barely older than Nick!’_ Judy thought before offering "Let me help you make breakfast."  


"You relax, I don't mind cooking. Plus, it's not every day I get to make breakfast for Nick's girlfriend." Marian assured, as she continued to slice some mushrooms.

"Mom!" Nick barked with embarrassment, "Judy's my friend."

Judy's ears shot up and all her fur stood on end ‘ _She thinks we're a couple!’_ she thought, not sure whether she should feel happy or not about that. "Me and Nick are partners and best friends, that's all." Judy clarified, sounding nervous.

Marian looked at Judy and grinned "Judy, you look like you've been up all night, your fur is ruffled up, you're in my son's apartment and to top it off, you're only wearing his favourite shirt. Are you sure you want to keep up this pretence of being 'Just Friends'?"

Judy looked down at herself and realised how it must look ‘ _She thinks I spent the night with Nick!?’_ "I can explain this!" Judy nearly shrieked, causing her to twinge a little in pain.

"Mom, stop teasing her. She went out with the girls from the precinct last night and crashed on my couch." Nick explained.

"So you're not seeing each other?" Marian huffed, clearly disappointed "What a shame."

"Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?" Nick asked, going over to his slightly shorter mother and kissing her on the cheek.

"You were supposed to be taking me out to brunch." Marian reminded.

"Sorry, I got side tracked with Carrots here." Nick apologised, nodding at the bashful bunny.

"Not to worry, I can make you both something while I'm here." Marian replied.

Nick looked back at Judy and said "Your clothes are washed and dried; I've left them out in the bathroom. Why don't you take a shower whilst I help my Mom with breakfast?"

Judy nodded, glad for the excuse to walk away from the embarrassing situation and compose herself, "Ok," Judy agreed before making her way to the bathroom.

When Marian heard the bathroom door shut she said to her son, "You were right."

"About what?" Nick asked.

"She is beautiful." Marian smiled knowingly, loving the flustered look on her kit's face.

000

Judy enjoyed the warm and relaxing shower, but even though her body felt better her mind was still going at break neck speed. As she stepped out of the shower and began to dry herself her mind wandered, ‘ _I can't believe that's Nick's Mom, I was such a jerk to her too! She's so young. Was she a teenager when she had Nick? I can't believe she thought I was Nick's girlfriend…that did feel nice though. Wait a sec, she didn't seem to mind that I was a Bunny; does that mean Nick's dated mammals who weren't his species before? Judy stop it, you're just going to make yourself sad. Just get dressed, go eat breakfast and talk to her, it isn't like she's scary; she's really nice.’_

Judy quickly got changed back into the black skirt and pink 'Francine's Bachelorette Entourage' t-shirt that were freshly laundered. She hopped up and sat on the edge of the sink so that she was eye level with the mirror. She straightened out her fur and made sure she looked her best after her ghastly introduction to Marian. "You can do this Judy," the 25 year old psyched herself up "she's nice and she seems to like you, so just go out there and make a good impression."

Judy jumped down and opened the door to the hallway to be met with a pleasurable mixture of smells wafting up her twitching pink nose. She smelled the unmistakeable scent of fried vegetables and, without knowing it, her pace quickened and she rushed back into the open plan living room/kitchen to see that Nick and Marian were sitting at the kitchen worktop ready to tuck into their late morning feast. "There she is the prettiest bunny in Zootopia." Marian cooed as she saw the fresh faced bunny.

"Mom, quit embarrassing her," Nick played down, "come sit down Carrots, Mom's made her special hangover cure fried breakfast."

Judy climbed up onto the kitchen stool and looked upon the fat heavy, headache killing, carb-a-rific veggie breakfast she was about to consume. To start off there was fried tomatoes with fried mushrooms, then a large portion of baked beans soaked in Worcestershire sauce, a couple of tofu sausages and two cakes of bubble and squeak (To all non UK & Irish readers bubble and squeak is a fried potato cake with cabbage in it, it's an awesome hangover cure ) "This looks amazing." Judy complimented as she looked at the mouth-watering dish.

"Oh dear, you're just saying that." Marian feigned shyness, taking a bite of some fried mushrooms from her plate.

"I'm serious Miss Wil- I'm sorry Marian, this breakfast is lovely." Judy corrected herself before taking a mouthful of beans.

"Carrots is always honest, so when she says your cooking is lovely, she means it." Nick added, chomping on his bubble and squeak.

"Now that's a cute nickname; Carrots." Marian commented.

"He kind of gave it to me when we weren't friends." Judy explained, enjoying her food.

"Hmmm?" Marian made a noise indicating she was intrigued.

"It's when I was selling pawpsicles, before I became a cop." Nick cleared up.

"Oh…I see." Marian replied, caught off guard.

Judy saw the hurt and puzzlement in Marian's eyes and responded "Nick helped me when I needed him most; you raised a good kit, Marian."

"I just wish I could've been there more." Marian confessed, sipping the tea she had prepared from scratch.

"Mom we've talked about this, it was me not you." Nick spoke up, a few dents in his armour showing up.

"Am I missing something?" Judy asked, taking a bite out of a fried tomato.

Nick sighed slightly and said "Mom and I only started talking again after I graduated the police academy; I was a bit of an asshole for the last few years."

"Nick, you must stop punishing yourself." Marian replied with force.

"What happened?" Judy couldn't help but ask.

"Some old family wounds came to surface," Nick elaborated, "I heard the truth and ran like an idiot."

Judy was about to ask more questions when Marian said to Judy "Enough about us Wildes, I hear you have 275 siblings. That is bound to be more interesting than our silly stories."

Judy smiled at the Vixen, both with reciprocated kindness and the knowledge that Marian wanted to dodge the subject, whatever the Vixen's past was she meant to keep it buried in the past and Judy played along "Well I'm one of the kits from an older litter…" Judy began, feeling strangely comfortable next to the mammal she loved most in the world and his Mother.

000

It was another couple of hours before Judy felt well enough to leave Nick's apartment, and since Marian was ready to leave as well she offered to drive the Bunny back home. Marian hugged and kissed her son goodbye whilst Judy apologised again and thanked Nick again for taking care of her which he shrugged off in his typical manner. Marian had a classic MG convertible waiting for them that was the same colour as the jewel on the choker she was wearing. The two mammals got in and made their way to Judy's place. "I can see why Nick talks about you so much, you really are amazing." Marian spoke up as the car stopped at a red light.

"You're just saying that." Judy played down, acting oddly timid.

"Humble as well, another good point." Marian grinned; Judy noticed that she had a similar smile to Nick's.

"Can I ask you something?" Judy said, sounding a little sheepish.

"Let me guess, you want to know how old I am?" Marian asked back as the light turned green and she continued driving.

"How did you know?" Judy queried, a little shocked.

"Don't worry, I get that question a lot when people see me with Nick; I'm 49." Marian revealed.

"Really? You don't look it, I'd say 40 tops." Judy gasped.

"Why thank you, dear." Marian smiled at the compliment.

"But Nick's 33 that means…" Judy started but didn't finish her sentence for fear of offending the Vixen.

"I was 16 when I had Nick, just another teenage mother." Marian finished. "Does that shock you?"

"Not really. I mean, I'm from Bunnyburrow, teen pregnancy is kind of the norm with us. I mean come on, we're Rabbits." Judy stated the obvious, feeling at ease once more.

Marian let out a small laugh before saying "So how long have you liked my kit?"

"What?!" Judy scoffed, caught off guard.

"Oh, don't act innocent; I saw the way you looked at him." Marian gave her most charming smile, another trait Nick inherited.

"Well, uh, that's, I…oh sweet cheese and crackers." Judy rambled before hiding her face in her paws.

"Well, if you ever do get the courage to tell Nick how you feel, let me just say I approve of you." Marian encouraged, making a turn onto Judy's block.

Judy peeked up and asked with hope "You do?"

"Of course, you turned my boy's life around, you're a great mammal and pretty to boot." Marian praised.

"But…but I don't even know if Nick likes women that aren't vixens, let alone me." Judy voiced her worries.

Marian let out a loud laugh before replying "You're joking, right? His first girlfriend was a badger. He's dated a lynx, a capybara and a dingo. Sure, he's dated some vixens too, but species never mattered to Nick."

"He's an Inter?!" Judy asked loudly.

"I assume from the way you're acting that you're an Inter too?" Marian asked back, still wearing a sunny smile.

"Well…" Judy answered shyly "I've only been with other Rabbits before, Nick is the first guy I've ever been attracted to who wasn't a Bunny."

Marian pulled up outside Judy's apartment building before turning to the lovesick Bunny beside her and said in soft voice "Here's some advice my dear; Men are wimps when it comes to making the first move, so that's why us Women have to take charge. Nick likes you Judy, I can tell, but you're both torturing yourselves with uncertainty. I mean, I was the one who asked Robin out."

"Robin?" Judy asked, curious.

"Nick's father," Marian answered, her smile fading slightly.

"What happened to him?" Judy asked, sensing something was amiss.

"That's a story for another day, my dear." Marian avoided.

Judy let the subject go and opened the car door, "Thanks for the ride, Marian." she said, stepping onto the pavement.

"Anytime, and remember my advice; take charge." Marian said with a wink before driving away.

Judy watched Marian as she drove down the street and thought happily ‘ _Nick's an Inter, I might have a chance!’_ but that happy thought was interrupted by the annoying buzz from her smartphone. She retrieved it from her skirt pocket and saw that there was over 100 updates on her Furbook page. She opened up the app to see a picture herself, with a traffic cone on her head, dancing in a nightclub beside a laughing Francine and Nala with the caption 'The Vodka Witch busts a move'. Nala had posted all the photos of last night online. Judy let out a loud audible groan whilst thinking ‘ _What's worse than a hangover? Strutting naked in front of Nick, throwing up everywhere, making a fool of myself in front of Marian and photographic evidence of me acting like an idiot that's what.’_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ So what did you guys think? Please please please Review. Next time on Take a stand; Nick squares up to Bogo over breaking Clawhauser's heart, our two fave cops are given a new assignment and two high ranking federal agents show up at precinct 1. Please review and see you soon)


	3. Old friends and old girlfriends.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A group of familiar faces arrive at the ZPD to help with a new case while Nick squares up to Bogo over dumping Clawhauser so callously

  **Chapter 3- Old friends and old girlfriends.**

Judy spent the rest of the day doing social media damage control after Marian dropped her off at home. It turns out the photos Nala posted on Furbook had spread around her social circle like wild fire and the tidal waves of comments came with the added punch of embarrassment, especially once some of her siblings had got wind of the Vodka Witch's antics. Lucky for Judy her eavesdropping neighbours weren't at home to hear her groans and aggravated cursing at each new photo she saw. But when Judy wasn't feeling like she would drop dead from being embarrassed, her mind wandered yet again to Nick. She opened up the photo gallery on her phone and clicked on a selfie of the pair of them, a friendly arm around one another and smiling into the camera. Judy lay back on her bed, relaxing in her pyjamas and gazed at the photo before saying, "Dumb Fox, why didn't you tell you were an Inter?" she asked no one in particular. "Were you afraid of what I'd say?"

Judy flicked to another photo she took of Nick wearing his uniform and aviator sunglasses, posing in his usual smooth operator fashion. "I'm sick of hiding my feelings," she admitted to herself, "so it's time I fixed that." Judy quickly hopped off the bed and walked over to the tall mirror in the corner of her room and told her reflection with a determined voice, "Tomorrow you're going to tell him how you feel and whatever happens happens."

Judy proceeded to concoct a very organised plan in her typical Judy way; tomorrow was Sunday and both of them were off duty, so at 10 am exactly she would call Nick asking if he wanted to go out to his favourite diner and have blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Then she intended to take Nick to a screening of Pulp Fiction at 12.30 pm, his most beloved film, and she knew that would put him in a good mood. At 4.30 pm she and Nick would wander back to Jumbeaux's ice cream parlour, where they first met, and tell him how she felt. She even had a romantic monologue rehearsed and ready to go. She set the alarm on her phone for 9am and went to sleep with butterflies of excitement in her tummy and the fear of rejection plaguing her mind.

But as the saying goes; best laid plans often go awry. And it started going awry at 8.28 am Sunday morning when her phone started ringing. In a sleepy haze she picked up the phone, pressed answer and put the phone to her ear "Hello?" she yawned.

" _Carrots, get changed into your uniform, the chief needs us at the precinct right away."_  Nick's voice came through the phone in a rush.

"Nick?" Judy asked, still a little sleepy, "What are you talking about?"

" _The Chief called me and said he needed us to come down for a special assignment, I'm already on the subway."_ Nick explained.

Judy heard this. She put her phone on speaker mode, resting it on the bedside table and proceeded to get changed very quickly. "Why didn't you call me earlier!?" she asked, peeved and suddenly awake.

" _I was right by the subway station when he called."_  Nick reasoned.

"You were up this early, on a Sunday?" Judy scoffed, slipping into her underwear.

" _I was going to call you at your place and see if you wanted to get breakfast._ " Nick revealed, causing Judy to tense up and her nose to twitch nervously.

 _‘He was going to take me out to breakfast! Oh Nick you're sweet!’_ she thought before replying, "Did Bogo say what he wanted us for?" while hastily putting on her pants

" _No idea, but I bet it has something to do with the M.M gang."_ Nick theorised, his voice sounding oddly angry.

"I'll meet you there." Judy signed off, finding her top and pulling it on.

"See ya soon fluff." Nick responded before hanging up. As soon as Judy knew Nick was gone she let out a deep sigh, realising she would have to wait one more day to tell Nick that she loved him.

000

Judy emerged from the subway station closest to Precinct 1 and noticed immediately that something big was going on, there was news vans parked outside the precinct entrance along with a half dozen jet black cars and vans, as she walked closer she noticed the black vehicles had the emblem of the Major Crimes Bureau or MCB sprayed onto the sides, "The MCB? Are they here for the M.M gang?" Judy whispered absentmindedly, but she was brought from her musings when she heard a strange voice.

"Alms, alms for the poor!" a gravelly voice chanted, Judy looked to see a shabby looking and hunched over red Fox with his hood up, shuffling past the entrance of the ZPD holding out a little tin cup. Judging from the state of his clothes and scruffy fur, he looked homeless. Also, he was clearly blind from the look of the big black sunglasses he was wearing and the cane he was using to guide himself with his spare hand. Judy's charitable nature shone through and she reached into her pocket for change. But as she did this a sharp dressed Stag bumped into the blind fox and knocked him to the ground and carried on walking.

Judy saw this and raced over to aid the fallen fox, "Sir, are you ok?" she asked, helping the blind fox to his feet.

"Ah, thank you, child." the Blind Fox thanked, using his cane to steady himself.

Judy picked up the tin cup the beggar had dropped and handed it back to him, and tossed a few of her own coins in, "Here you go. I can't believe that guy just carried on walking." Judy seethed.

"Don't worry, I'm used to it," the blind fox sighed, his voice gravelly and old, "I'm a fox, it comes with the territory."

"I happen to be a fan of foxes." Judy said, trying to cheer up the downtrodden vulpine.

"Well now, that's rare; a police officer who's fond of foxes." the Blind fox chuckled.

"How did you know I was cop?" Judy asked with a curious smile.

"Well, the sound of your handcuffs jingling on your belt and the fact that I know I'm outside the ZPD makes me think you're a police officer." the Fox gave a grin, before sniffing the air "I say, are you a bunny?"

"Surprised?" Judy asked back.

"A bunny who is part of the ZPD and likes Foxes, my, my the times are changing." the Blind Fox tittered before making his way from the entrance, "Good day, my child." he said cheerfully as he hobbled off.

"Same to you sir," Judy said in a friendly manner before making her way into lobby. She looked over at the front desk where Clawhauser and Nick were chatting casually. But as she walked over, she noticed something wasn't quite right about the usually joyful cheetah today. He looked sullen and his voice's volume seemed low. She then looked at Nick, who was wearing a sympathetic expression on his muzzle. He was wearing a grey t shirt and jeans, seeing as he had no time to go back to his apartment and change. She made it over to the desk, but before she could ask if everything was alright, Clawhauser's sad face morphed into a happy one as he sniggered, "There she is; the Vodka Witch!"

Judy returned the greeting with a playful scowl, "Watch it or I might turn you into a frog."

"Awww, that means a handsome prince will have to kiss me; lucky me." Clawhauser giggled.

"What's with all the MCB trucks parked outside?" Judy asked, changing the subject.

"The Chief is going to tell us in a few minutes," Nick said, looking at his watch "actually, we best make our way to the bullpen before he has our tails. I'll speak to you later, buddy."

"See you two later." Clawhauser waved off before getting back to his paperwork.

As Judy and Nick started to walk off in the direction of the bullpen, Judy glanced over her shoulder to see a defeated look return to Clawhauser's face, "Hey is Clawhauser feeling ok? He looks kind of down." she asked in a hushed voice.

Nick looked a little unsure at first, but answered in an equally quiet voice "Ok I'll tell you, but try not to overreact."

"Ok." Judy responded, noting the seriousness in her partner's voice.

"He broke up with his boyfriend on Friday morning." Nick revealed.

Judy's ears went instantly droopy and her amethyst coloured eyes looked sad, "Oh Clawhauser," she mourned for her friend "So we were right, he was dating someone?"

"For just over a year. I hope that piece of crap who broke Spots' heart suffers." Nick voiced his bitterness.

"What happened between them?" Judy asked, starting to sound a little cross herself.

"Clawhauser wanted to be public about the relationship; his ex wants to stay in the closet." Nick explained.

"Wait, this guy wasn't even public? Oh Ben," Judy gave a sad sigh before opening the door to the bullpen where she spotted an orange traffic cone at the desk her and Nick usually sat at. She quickly grumbled, "Oh no."

"There she is folks; the Vodka Witch!" Nala cheered causing all the female officers in the room to start chanting "Vodka Witch, Vodka Witch, Vodka Witch!"

"Oh hardy-har girls," Judy responded over sarcastically as she went over to her desk, Nick close behind her smiling smugly.

"Damn Judy, for a little mammal you can sure put away the booze. Even I was struggling." Nala chortled at her much shorter friend.

"I'm country bred; we're not soft like you city slickers." Judy joked, which caused a ripple of laughter through the room.

"Hey Hopps, put on the cone!" McHorn dared with a chuckle, the Rhino was giving a very rare smile "Every witch needs her hat."

"No way," Judy laughed off as she climbed onto the chair with Nick plonking himself beside her.

"Ah come on Hopps, don't be a spoilsport." Higgins egged on; the hippo had never seen the rabbit so flustered.

"N-O," Judy shot down.

"Put on the hat!" Nala began to chant, which in turn caused everyone in the room to start chanting "Put on the hat! Put on the hat! Put on the hat!"

After ten seconds of chanting, Judy gave in to the peer pressure, got up on the table and placed the orange traffic cone on her head "Fine, there you go." Judy huffed putting her paws on her hips to the sounds of everyone laughing.

"HOPPS!" a booming voice shook the room and rendered every other mammal in the bullpen silent. Judy slowly turned her head to see an irate looking Chief Bogo in the doorway.

"Morning, Chief." she squeaked awkwardly, taking the cone off her head.

"Get in your seat." he instructed with frustration. The bunny immediately did as she was told. "Officers, I would apologise to those of you who have been called in on overtime; but I don't care." Bogo continued, stepping out of the doorway and letting three mammals walk through, all smartly dressed and wearing their game faces. "As you may have noticed, the Major Crimes Bureau has set up shop in our precinct due to the escalating situation with the M.M gang. I will let their district director explain further."

One of the MCB agents stepped forward. She was a beautiful arctic fox dressed in a silvery suit with an aqua blue blouse underneath, "Good morning, officers, my name is Skye Winter and I will be coordinating the M.M gang investigation," Skye said in a clear and commanding voice. "As of 6am this morning, this became an official MCB case, however we will be working together with the ZPD to bring these criminals to justice. Any questions so far?"

Nala raised her paw, to which Skye nodded, signalling her to ask her question, "Why is the info so scarce on these guys? There are never any solid witness statements, so how are we supposed to hunt criminals we know nothing about?" the Lioness asked, causing a murmur of agreement among the other ZPD cops.

"That's a great question," Skye replied, "the reason we know so little about these criminals is because they’re smart; they always wear disguises, use tech that scrambles any surveillance, and they never leave a scrap of forensic evidence."

"So, how are we meant to catch them?" Grizzoli asked, the big bear looking perplexed.

"Well, lucky for us, we have two M.M gang experts," Skye answered, motioning to the two other mammals with her. One was an obese grey furred male wolf and the other was a grey buck Rabbit with black stripes on his cheeks and his ears, "Agent Guy Nottingham and Agent Jack Savage have been studying the M.M gang for quite some time."

"Nice to meetcha'," Nottingham said, showing a very sleazy smile.

"I look forward to working with you all." Jack greeted formally.

Nick's eyes widened upon seeing Jack as he mumbled, "It can't be." Judy heard this and pondered how Nick knew the well dressed rabbit.

"I have a question," Bogo spoke up "why are they called the M.M gang?"

"At every heist these punks pull they leave a calling card, they spray paint the letters M.M on a wall." Nottingham elaborated; his teeth were yellow and spoke with slow drawl, "We don't know what it means so we've taken to calling them the Merry Mammals."

"But this is not the first time the M.M gang have struck Zootopia," Jack pointed out. Judy noticed that he was a little taller than her and she would've considered him handsome if not for the even more handsome Fox beside her. "A similar string of thefts in this city happened over twenty five years ago."

"So, they've returned?" Judy asked.

Jack looked a little surprised to see a Rabbit cop but answered, "We don't think so, we think these guys are emulating the original M.M gang using the same tactics; using non lethal weapons and of course robbing the rich and giving to the poor."

"Non lethal weapons, you mean like tasers?" Nala queried.

"Tranq arrows," Skye corrected, holding up an arrow in a clear evidence bag, "The bows these guys use have better aim and can fire quicker than any tranq guns the ZPD has."

"Do we have any idea what these crooks like?" Higgins asked the burning question.

"We know for sure that there three members of the M.M gang," Jack confided, "The first is some sort of canine who works as their archer, since he’s always seen wearing a green hoodie. We've codenamed him 'Hood'."

"The second guy is the muscle, a big predator mammal, during a heist one witness heard Hood refer to this pred as 'Little John'." Nottingham threw in.

"And the third member is a mystery," Jack confessed "but this mammal is their tech expert who orchestrates the heists and hacks the security systems. Unfortunately, we have no idea what species this mammal is."

Skye stepped forward and spoke, "We will explain our strategy for capturing the M.M gang in the coming days, but for now let me say that my colleagues and I look forward to working with you. That is all."

"Dismissed," Bogo announced before looking down at Judy and Nick, "Hopps, Wilde, I'm going be at the press conference with District Director Winter for the next twenty minutes, so be outside my office by the time I arrive. I’ve got a special assignment for you two."

"Yes sir." Judy replied, whilst Nick concurred with just a nod. Bogo and Skye left the bullpen while the rest of ZPD officers got up and went about their duties. But before Jack could leave, Nick sprung from his seat and made a beeline for the MCB agent."Hey Jack, remember me?" Nick smiled as he approached the rabbit.

"Excuse me, do I know you?" Jack asked politely, looking at Nick with confusion.

"Ah, come on, Skippy, you sayin' you don't remember your old pal from Sherwood?" Nick teased, pretending that his feelings were hurt.

Jack looked at the Fox standing in front of him for a few seconds before his face lit up with a massive grin, "Nick? Is that you?"

"It's good to see you buddy." Nick said.

"I haven't seen you in years," Jack replied, still smiling, "Wait, are you a cop?"

"Hard to believe I know." Nick shrugged "And look at you; super slick federal agent."

"I can't believe this," Jack chuckled "how long has it been?"

"Let me think. The last time I saw you we were both thirteen, so twenty years ago." Nick realised, suddenly feeling old.

"Ahem," Judy cleared her throat, getting the old friends' attention, "care to introduce me Nick?"

"Oh sorry Carrots," Nick apologised "Jack this is my partner; Judy Hopps."

"Nice to meet you, Agent Savage," Judy greeted extending her paw.

"Nice to meet you too," Jack replied, shaking her paw, "and call me Jack. Good to see a rabbit here, I didn't think the ZPD hired us bunnies."

"I'm the only one so far and Nick's the only fox on the force." Judy explained "So, how do you two know each other?"

"We grew up together," Jack answered happily, "back in the old Sherwood district of downtown Savannah Central."

"Jack used to work the pawpsicle hustle with me and Finnick back when we were kids." Nick revealed.

"Oh man, those were the days." Jack said with nostalgia.

Just then the sound of Judy's phone ringing stopped the conversation; she retrieved her smartphone from her pocket and commented, "It's my parents. Hang on, I best take this," before walking off out of the bullpen with her phone next to her ear.

When Judy left the room Jack grinned devilishly at Nick "You like her, huh?"

Nick went stern as he replied "No comment."

"You always did have a thing for bunnies," Jack coaxed "I know you had a crush on my big sister."

"Oh, like how you always had a thing for Vixens?" Nick teased back.

"Touché," Jack snickered, "I still can't believe it though; Nick Loxley a cop."

"Wilde." Nick corrected, looking around to make sure no one heard the name 'Loxley'. Thankfully, no one had.

"Sorry, Wilde, I could never get used to you changing your name." Jack apologised.

"I'd rather have my Mom's maiden name than that bastard’s name." Nick quietly growled.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Nick. I didn't mean to open old wounds." Jack comforted.

"Well this whole M.M case ain't helping." Nick admitted, crossing his arms.

"Look we both know this isn't Robin Loxley committing these crimes since he's been dead a long time." Jack said quietly, knowing secrecy was the best policy on this subject.

"Oh please; Hood, Little John, Merry Mammals? This whole thing stinks of my old man." Nick vented.

"Robin and John are dead." Jack stated "Whoever these new guys are, they're just copying their style. I know that for sure."

"I'm just worried about what my Mom thinks of this. I mean, every news report must trudge up bad memories." Nick sighed.

"Your Mom's a strong woman; I mean she had to be to raise your troublemaking ass." Jack joked.

Nick let out a small laugh before saying, "You know, you should come around to my place. I'll call my Mom and tell her you're back in town."

"I'd like that." Jack smiled at his old friend, just like when they were kids.

000

Twenty minutes later, Judy and Nick were outside Bogo's office awaiting the buffalo's return from the press conference. Judy looked a little down, causing Nick to ask, "What's eating you, Carrots?"

"My parents saw the Furbook post of the 'Vodka Witch'," Judy whined, "Ugh, I'm 25 years old and they still tell me off like when I was 10."

"You're still their baby, they worry about you, sweetheart." Nick reasoned.

"But I'm an adult and a cop for goodness sake; I wish sometimes they'd get off my case." Judy complained.

Nick stared at the frustrated bunny for a moment, resisting the urge to give her a hug, kiss her forehead and say, 'It's ok.' Lucky for him a distraction came in the shape of Chief Bogo approaching them, "I hate press conferences." the chief complained, and as he brushed past Judy and Nick and opened the door to his office, the fox and rabbit followed him in quickly. "Sit." He instructed and both mammals obeyed.

"You said you had a special assignment for us sir?" Judy asked, eager for a case.

"I received intel from Skye Winter about a possible threat to two of Zootopia's citizens by the M.M gang," Bogo said, cutting to the chase, "and I need you two to keep a watch over these two."

"Who are they?" Judy asked.

"Trevor Moon and Raymond Bastille, the mayoral candidates," Bogo answered.

"Why would the M.M gang target these two? They're bank robbers, not assassins, violence isn't in their M.O." Nick pointed out, Bogo noticed that his officer was being strangely serious and not doing his one liners.

"Regardless, at the scene of the M.M gang's last crime they left a newspaper clipping with a picture of both candidates on it, we think it's a warning." Bogo summarised.

"What's our objective, Chief?" Judy queried.

"I want you to attend any public rallies of these individuals dressed in your uniforms as a deterrent. Be on the lookout for suspicious activity." Bogo ordered "Both candidates are giving speeches outside city hall today at 3pm, I want you both to be there."

"Understood, Chief" Judy replied, whilst Nick remained silent and straight faced. Even Judy noticed Nick was acting very un-Nick like.

"Hopps, you're dismissed, Wilde, I want a word." Bogo said. Judy looked at Nick for a moment and saw a flicker of anger in his emerald eyes before getting down from her seat and leaving the office, pondering what was wrong with Nick and why Bogo wanted a word with him. Nick gave Judy a look as if to say, 'It's ok'. Upon seeing this, Judy left the office and shut the door behind her leaving Nick alone with Bogo.

The two locked begrudging eyes with each other in silence for nearly twenty seconds before Bogo broke the silence, "Is there a problem, Wilde?"

"Why do you ask that?" Nick replied, sounding a little condescending.

"During the briefing with the MCB, you didn't once make a joke or witty retort, the same can be said since you stepped into my office. All of this is very un-Wilde behaviour." Bogo voiced his opinion.

"Nothing is wrong." Nick lied, trying to keep his anger at bay, but it was clearly on display through his eyes.

"Nothing is wrong, hmm?" Bogo snorted, "Then explain why you've been eyeballing me since I walked into the bullpen."

"It's a personal matter sir, I'll deal with it." Nick dodged, not wanting his frustration to erupt.

"Spit it out, Wilde, you've obviously got a problem with me, so let's hear it." Bogo commanded, his voice ripe with rage.

Nick thought about it for a moment before saying, "Can I say something, off the record? Like, let's pretend that I'm not a cop and you aren't my superior."

"Ok, off the record; speak." Bogo allowed.

"You're a piece of shit." Nick insulted, pointing a finger at the chief.

"Wilde!" Bogo yelled "Who the he-"

"You broke Clawhauser's heart." Nick interrupted, each word dripping with spite.

Bogo let out an audible gasp, his expression turned from wrath to worry within a second, "He told you." He uttered.

"I found him in the locker room on Friday crying his eyes out, and it took some persuading but he told me what made so upset; you." Nick quietly seethed.

"Wilde, it's complicated." Bogo back peddled.

"He loved you, he wanted to share his life with you and you laughed in his face." Nick attacked.

"He told you about that." Bogo said with shame, avoiding eye contact with Nick.

"Yeah, he told me. I hope you're happy Mason, because you've broken him." Nick spat, deliberately using Bogo's first name "You don't even deserve his tears."

"Are you going to tell everyone?" Bogo asked, his voice soft and vulnerable.

"What? That you're gay? That you're inter?" Nick guessed, still sounding pissed off as he got off the chair and headed to the door, "No, you want to stay in the closet? That's fine with me. Outing mammals ain't my style."

"…Thank you." Bogo mumbled, unable to look Nick in the eye.

Nick put his paw on the door handle and took a breath before saying, "Just so we're clear? I respect you as the Chief of this precinct, but as a mammal I have zero respect for you." With that said Nick opened the door and marched out of the office leaving the stunned and saddened Bogo alone with his thoughts. With tears in his eyes Bogo fished his phone out of his pocket and opened up the gallery, selecting a photo of himself and Clawhauser; Bogo was cuddling the feline and kissing him on the cheek. As the tear drops fell on the phone screen, Bogo gave a hushed cry, "I miss you."

000

Nick needed to go back to his place to get changed into his uniform before they could go to the political rally later. Nick had found Judy in the underground parking lot waiting in the patrol car. He hopped in without saying a word and were halfway to his apartment when Judy couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. "So what did the Chief want?" she asked, trying to be casual and failing miserably.

"Nothing." Nick dismissed, still a little angry.

"Come on, Nick, something's up." Judy tried to get her partner to open up.

"Fluff, let it go." Nick requested sounding fed up.

"It's obviously bothering you." Judy pointed out, looking at Nick.

"Carrots," Nick said, looking at the road.

"You can tell me, I w-", Judy began.

"CARROTS!" Nick panicked, pointing at the road.

Judy turned and saw a little red fox kit run out into the road chasing a red balloon, oblivious to the danger she was in. Judy slammed her foot on the specially heightened brakes and the car came to a screeching halt. Judy couldn't see the fox kit, only the red balloon rising in the air. With fear and speed Judy unclipped her seatbelt and jumped out of the cop car with Nick following suit. She raced around to the front of the car and relief washed over her; there was the fox kit safe and unscathed. "No, my balloon," the tiny vixen complained.

"Kid," Nick panted, gripping the left side of his chest, "you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Huh? Hey mister, what's wrong?" The kit asked. She was dressed in a denim skirt and white top with a red star in the middle.

"Don't worry, little lady, he was just worried about you. So was I, to be honest." Judy breathed a sigh of relief.

The kit looked at the big patrol car beside her and realised, "I wasn't looking where I going…again." she said bashfully.

"You should always look both ways before crossing the street." Judy advised as she knelt down to the kit, Judy guessed she was no older than 6.

"You're a police officer," the kit said nervously "am I in trouble?"

"No, sweetie," Judy assured her, "Me and my partner just wanted to make sure you're safe."

"Where are your parents, kid?" Nick asked, calming down.

The red furred kit looked up at Nick and replied shyly, "I was shopping with my Mommy, but then I spotted that balloon…"

"Luna!" A frenzied voice shouted. Before Judy and Nick could turn to see who had shouted, a black furred vixen dressed in an expensive suit was kneeling beside the kit. "Baby, don't run off like that, you made Mommy worry." the Vixen chastised before hugging her daughter.

"Sorry." Luna apologised sheepishly.

The Vixen looked at Judy and said, "Officer I am so sorry, I turned for one second and she was gone."

"It's ok, just remind this little lady to be careful near traffic." Judy smiled, happy to see mother and child reunited.

The black Vixen then stood up to thank Nick, but her face morphed into shock and she nearly shrieked, "Nick?!"

"Hey Victoria." Nick grumbled, clearly unhappy to see the vixen.

"What are you doing here?!" Victoria garbled with surprise.

"Your daughter stopped in front of our car." Nick replied dryly.

Victoria looked at the car, then at Judy then back at Nick and asked, "You're a cop now?"

Judy and Luna were both confused by what was transpiring, but Judy felt the horrible itch of jealousy as she asked "You two know each other?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (DUN DUN DUN! Jealously rears its ugly head! What did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW. Next time on Take A Stand, Nick and Judy go to the mayor rally, Finnick has some intel and Judy's jealousy gets the best of her. Please review and c ya soon...)


	4. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Judy are on guard duty at a emotionally charged political rally before heading to a bar to get some intel from an old friend.

** Chapter 4- Truth **

The black Vixen then stood up to thank Nick, but her face morphed into shock and she nearly shrieked, "Nick!?"

"Hey Victoria." Nick grumbled, clearly unhappy to see the vixen.

"What are you doing here?!" Victoria garbled with surprise.

"Your daughter stopped in front of our car." Nick replied dryly.

Victoria looked at the car, then at Judy, then back at Nick and asked, "You're a cop now?"

Judy and Luna were both confused by what was transpiring, but Judy felt the horrible itch of jealousy as she asked, "You two know each other?"

"Victoria's an old 'Friend' of mine." Nick reworded, wanting this conversation to end as quickly as possible.

"Mommy, you know a police officer? That's cool." Luna smiled up at her mother.

Victoria looked shaken for a moment as she looked back down at the cheery kit, "L-Luna, did you say thank you to the nice officers?" she asked, all flustered. She nervously stroked the black fur of her cheek.

"Thank you, officers." Luna beamed with a beautiful smile.

"Well, we best be going," Nick replied dryly, ignoring the child and avoiding eye contact with the dark coloured vixen as he got back into the cruiser, "You coming, Carrots?"

"Ri—ght." Judy dragged, getting a good look at Victoria before glancing down with a friendlier look and tone to Luna, "You stay safe, sweetie."

"Yes Ma'am." Luna said before waving at the Bunny cop as she got back into the cruiser. Victoria and Luna quickly got off the road and walked down the pavement in the opposite direction Nick and Judy were heading.

Judy started the engine and took a brief sideways glance at Nick and asked in a caring tone, "You alright?"

"Not really." Nick replied, knowing it was pointless to lie to his best friend.

Judy put the car into gear and continued to drive towards Nick's apartment, "Is she an ex-girlfriend?" Judy asked with a careful tone.

"Yeah," Nick answered, looking a little ticked off, "that cheat is my ex."

"She cheated on you?" Judy gasped a little. "Nick I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago," Nick tried to play it cool, "Come on; we’ve got a rally to get to."

It only took five more minutes for the pair to arrive at Nick's place, "Just wait here, I'll be a few minutes." Nick said as he made his way to the steps of his building.

"Don't worry, we have plenty of time." Judy assured him, jumping down out of the car. It was way too warm to stay inside.

Nick was about to make his way up the building steps when he spotted something on the grey coloured stone; it was an arrow. Not one of the high tech tranq arrows that the MCB had showed off earlier; this was home made. It was a simple twig with a few stray leaves still hanging off of it with a pointy bit of sharpened wood on the tip, Nick recognised it immediately since it was just like the ones he used to play with when he was a kid when his dad was teaching him archery. He noticed that there was a scrap of paper tied around the arrow. He carefully picked up the twig arrow and untied the paper before reading the note written in blue biro 'You and Hopps meet me at the Champion bar 7pm, I've got some info on the M.M gang- Finnick'

"Finnick?" Nick said with puzzlement. What the hell was he doing with one of these arrows?

"Nick?" Judy asked, noticing the confused and sad face of her partner.

Nick snapped out of his dreary haze and revealed, "Looks like Finnick might have some intel for us."

000

Judy and Nick arrived at city hall over an hour early, and even that was after stopping off for coffee and a quick bite to eat. A makeshift stage had been set up in front of the city hall with the Zootopia News Network logo dotted all over it. Various news crews had set up their equipment around the stage and Judy noticed there was already a crowd of mammals growing with each minute before the rally actually began. Nick had decided if it was possible he was going to be on TV he wanted to look his best, so he was well groomed and even wearing his pristine officer hat that he very rarely wore. Nick and Judy had placed themselves at the side of the stage so they could run on easily if anything were to happen to the two mayoral candidates. "This is a waste of our time." Nick grumbled, crossing his arms as he looked out at the three hundred or so mammals that had gathered around the stage waiting for the show to start, as well as another dozen cops dotted around the city hall for security.

"Look, if the M.M gang left the newspaper clipping at the scene of the crime it must mean something right?" Judy reasoned.

"Violence isn't there style," Nick pointed out, "they use sleeper arrows. Plus, what's there to steal at a political rally? Zilch, that's what."

"Look, let's just get this babysitting job done, then we can go see Finnick, ok?" Judy replied. To be honest, she thought this whole thing was futile as well.

"Sounds like a plan, Carrots." Nick agreed. A few more seconds passed before he asked, "Say, do you want to hang out at my place tonight? Watch a movie, order a pizza? I mean, I was going to treat you to breakfast this morning."

Judy's amethyst eyes lit up at this suggestion, ‘ _Maybe I can tell him tonight’,_ she thought as she answered in a casual voice, "Sure; just no freaking out like a baby if we watch a scary movie."

"That was one time." Nick griped.

Judy giggled briefly before adding in a teasing voice, "Don't worry, if you get scared you can hold my paw."

"Funny." Nick responded with a narrow gaze. Just then, a familiar face walked onto the stage; Fabine Growley, the ZNN anchor came onto stage holding a microphone.

"Good afternoon everyone and thank you for attending this mayoral rally organised by ZNN," The Snow Leopard addressed the crowd, "Today, we will hear from our two candidates about their ambitions and the policies they will enact if they are voted in as Mayor of this great city."

Some members of the crowd started to cheer as they spotted an elderly tan furred wolf on the stage steps, waiting for his cue to come on stage "First up, we have the mammal who has served this city for thirty years as a councilman, but has also been a leading figure in civil rights campaigning; Mr. Trevor Moon." Fabine introduced. The glasses wearing wolf walked up onto the stage, waving to the cheering crowd. Even though the wolf was in his sixties he looked rather fashionable in his royal blue suit.

"And our other candidate; the District Attorney, who's relentless mission to stamp out organised crime has led to a 30% drop in crime in the two years he's been in charge; Mr. Raymond Bastille." Fabine announced before a muscular wolverine with dark brown fur strolled onto the stage waving at his cheering supporters.

"Now gentlemen, this is not a debate," Fabine spoke to both candidates "today the citizens of Zootopia want to hear three promises that you will fulfil if you are elected as mayor." Fabine handed the mic to the wolf "Mr. Moon, you first."

Moon smiled as he took the microphone and spoke into it with a jovial tone, "Thank you Fabine and thank you to all the mammals that have shown up today." This caused a cheer from about half of the crowd. "Ladies and Gentle mammals, I was born and raised in the Sherwood district of Savannah Central; where the mammals are working class and proud, but are also under the heel of corrupt landlords. Take a walk through Sherwood and you'll see derelict buildings and families being charged sky high prices for subpar properties. That's why my first promise to the people of Zootopia if I am elected is that I will provide better social housing and strict laws on rent control and living conditions for landlords." This caused a huge round of applause from the crowd and even some of the Bastille supporters looked impressed. Nick was smiling since he grew up in the Sherwood area and knew how bad it could be.

Moon then walked over to Bastille and handed over the mic, both of them sharing a civil nod before Bastille began to speak in a deep and commanding voice ,"You know I grew up working class too; sure, I was from Tundra Town where the crime rate is lower, but there was always an unseen crime going on; Tax evasion. For too long, the richest 10% of the city have ducked and dived their way to get out of paying the proper amount of Tax to the city. That's why my first promise is to bring in a new policy to make the richest citizens pay more tax to ease and lower the burden on the everyday mammal of Zootopia." Again both sides of the crowd seemed to agree with this policy and a huge round of applause followed. Judy wasn't used to this sort of crowd during elections. Back in Bunnyburrow they’d had the same mayor since she was born and elections were just seen as a formality.

Bastille passed the mic back to his more softly spoken opponent. Moon took the mic and looked at the front of the crowd where a few dozen rodents were standing on a specially built platform for them to watch the debate; most of the tiny mammals were holding 'Moon for Mayor' signs. "Little Rodentia," Moon began "whilst it is one of the smaller districts of Zootopia, it is home to nearly a third of our citizens, 30 million rodents live in our great city and who protects them? Not the ZPD. Instead, the city spends a mind blowing $300 million on hiring a private security company who work like mercenaries and bounty hunters, who answer to no one, and what do we get as a result? Bribery, brutality and crime running wild. For my second promise, I will build five police precincts in Little Rodentia and hire at least 400 rodent officers to the ZPD within my first year of power." This got tiny cheers from the rodents whilst the rest of the mammals in the crowd clapped and nodded. Judy chuckled to herself. She was currently the smallest officer in the ZPD so it was hard to think that within in a year there could be a few hundred cops smaller than her.

The microphone then went back to Bastille who turned and looked at Nick and Judy and smiled "The brave men and women of the ZPD, can we give them a round of applause folks?" Bastille invited, causing a huge eruption of clapping and the news cameras to point at Nick and Judy. The rabbit gave a bashful wave whilst Nick tipped his officer hat in a cool manner (he knew he was right to wear it today). "These brave mammals put their lives on the line every day," Bastille continued "and my time as DA has shown how hard working and diligent the ZPD are. But too often criminals slip through loopholes in our laws and policies, so my second promise is to give the ZPD more funding powers to tackle organised crime in our city."

"More powers? What do you think that means?" Nick asked Judy.

"No idea, just sounds like political bluster to me." Judy replied quietly.

Moon was then handed the mic for his final promise, but instead of the happy expression he was wearing moments ago, he looked rather serious "This promise is going to divide people, but I feel like it must be brought to the forefront of politics. As Fabine said earlier, I have been a civil rights campaigner for years, I fought for predator's rights to attend prey schools, for equal pay for female mammals and for gay marriage; which of course if I hadn't have fought for I would have never been able to marry my late husband." Moon explained, before looking at the gold wedding band on his finger. "But do you know who still can't marry? Mammals of different species." Upon hearing this, Nick's heart rate picked up and all of Judy's fur stood on end.

"For too long, Interspecies couples have been persecuted, shunned and been denied the right to marry. Well, I say enough is enough; I am taking a stand! For my final promise; if I am elected as your mayor, I will legalise Interspecies marriage!" Moon promised in a loud and grand voice.

This caused a mixed reaction from the crowd; a large potion just jeered and booed the councilman whilst others cheered "Moon for Mayor!" Judy looked out at the mammals booing and felt a chill down her spine, ‘ _Do mammals hate Inters that much?’_

"He's got my vote." Nick grinned, applauding the wolf.

Judy looked up at the unfazed Nick and asked "Doesn't that bother you?" nodding at the angry mammals.

Nick gazed at the beautiful bunny and replied, "Never let them see that they get to you," before giving a cheeky wink.

Judy's worried face melted away and she gave a grin at her partner. She about to say something but then Bastille’s voice came out over the speaker "No." he simply said. "My third promise is simple, marriage should be kept between mammals of the same species, so if I am elected mayor of Zootopia I will block the interspecies marriage bill and keep Zootopia's species’ pure!" This resulted in massive roar of cheers from the crowd and a smaller portion voicing their disagreement.

"Sweet cheese and crackers," Judy mumbled, that sick feeling of fear in the pit of her stomach rising again. Judy had a feeling this election would bring out the worst in some mammals.

000

Just as Judy and Nick predicted, the M.M gang didn't show up at the rally. Soon as the event was over they drove back to Precinct 1 and dropped off the patrol car back in parking lot. The pair walked the five minute stroll to 'The Champion' pub where Finnick would be waiting. Nick made sure to bring the arrow he left for them in a black bag. They got to the pub entrance to find Waddles the bouncer beside the door chatting with a few patrons and enjoying a cigarette.

"Hey, Waddles." Nick greeted the Pig.

"Evenin' Wilde, what's with the hat?" Waddles laughed.

"Thought I’d try looking fancy for once." Nick smirked, tipping his hat.

"Whatever you say," Waddles gave a small laugh, "how's it hanging, Hopps?"

"Ugh, just been to that dumb rally at City Hall." Judy complained.

"Don't tell me you support that dick Bastille?" Waddles asked cautiously.

"Heck, no!" Judy responded, "I'm voting for Moon!"

Waddles smiled and playfully punched Judy in the arm, "That’s a good girl." He complimented, "All I've been hearing tonight is 'Bastille has my vote' and 'Inters are wrong'."

"Um, you're an inter?" Judy guessed.

"Yeah," Waddles happily admitted, "me and Gompers have been seeing each other for two years now."

Judy absorbed this info and gave a happy look, "You two actually suit each other." She complimented before walking into the pub with Nick, "See you later."

The pub was pretty busy. Both Nick and Judy spotted and waved at their fellow off duty officers as they made their way to the bar where Gompers and a two horned Rhino barmaid were serving drinks. "Nick, Judy what can I get for ya'?" Gompers asked, her multiple ear piercings jingling with each movement.

"Two beers, please," Judy ordered.

"Coming right up," Gompers acknowledged before grabbing two pint glasses and going over to the pump.

"Hey, Gompers, have you seen Finnick around?" Nick asked, cutting to the chase.

"Yeah, he's over in the corner snug." the goat replied "Go join him, I'll bring these over."

"Thanks." Judy responded before her and Nick made their way to the snug in the far corner of the bar where there was less mammals. As they made it to the snug, they found Finnick halfway through his own pint of larger and texting on his phone, but he looked a lot more stylish than when Nick last saw him, he was in a jet black tailored suit with a blood red shirt and black tie underneath.

Nick gave a impressed whistle as he settled into the snug, "Look at you, all suited up." he grinned.

"I always had more style than you Nick." Finnick joked with his deep voice.

"It's good to see you Finnick." Judy said politely, sitting beside Nick

"Are you keeping my boy in check? Just kick his ass if he steps out of line." Finnick kidded.

"Ok," Gompers said as she walked over with the two beers for Nick and Judy and placed them on the table, "who's tab am I putting this on?"

"His," Judy nodded at Nick.

"Hers," Nick protested.

"Put it on mine, Gompers, save these two bickering." Finnick answered, "And get one for yourself."

"Thanks, babe." Gompers replied, blowing the small fox a kiss as she trotted off back to the bar.

As soon as Gompers was out of earshot, Nick put the black bag containing the arrow on the table and said in a serious manner, "Let's get down to business."

"Ok, but before I say anything let me just say; I'm coming here as a friend and not as a snitch." Finnick clarified.

"Ok." Judy said, unsure of what was going on.

"I've started working for Mr. Big again," Finnick announced, "hence the suit."

"What are you doing for him?" Nick asked in vain.

Finnick let out a small chuckle before snorting, "You think I'd tell two cops what I'm up to? What do you take me for?"

"So Mr. Big sent you?" Judy guessed, taking a sip of her beer.

Finnick took a long look at Judy for a second before asking, "How much do you know about the M.M gang?"

"Not a lot." Judy answered with honesty.

"So, I'm assuming you don't know what this arrow means?" Finnick asked again, retrieving the twig arrow from the bag.

"No." Judy answered with a shake of her head.

"Back in the old days before you were born and I was just a kit everyone knew what these arrows meant," Nick explained, picking up the arrow, "if you had a harmless twig arrow presented to you, it meant you were an ally and under the protection of the M.M gang."

"And if you had a sharp black arrow shot at your door it meant you were an enemy of the M.M gang." Finnick added.

"So this means Mr Big is a friend of the M.M gang?" Judy assumed.

"I wasn't around at Mr. Big's mansion last night, but apparently the M.M gang snuck in for a private audience with the boss." Finnick elaborated.

"Was it him?!" Nick suddenly snapped, "Was it Hood and Little John?" This sudden outburst surprised Judy, but Finnick looked like he had expected this reaction.

"The Boss wouldn't say. You know what he's like with secrets." Finnick said, trying to calm his old friend down. "Besides, we both know the original Hood is dead."

"Wait, you guys knew about the Hood?" Judy asked, genuinely interested.

"The Hood was a hero to the poor of Zootopia back in the day, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor." Finnick answered with a nostalgic smile.

"So what did the M.M gang want with Mr. Big?" Nick asked, getting back on track and taking a glug of his beer.

"To give him some info, seems there's a new drug on the streets and it's causing a lot of tension between the families. According to the M.M gang, two crime syndicates have joined forces to take over the drug trade in the city and of course you know how much Mr. Big hates drugs." Finnick revealed.

"Why does Mr. Big hate drugs?" Judy followed up.

Nick sighed before answering "Fru Fru used to have a twin sister."

"What do you mean 'Used to'?" Judy asked, fearing the answer.

"Fru Fru's twin; Sophia was a wiz with numbers," Nick recalled, picturing the nerdy little shrew, "the kid was a genius, but when she got to college something snapped in her and she got hooked on the junk. She overdosed a few days before her and Fru Fru's 21st birthday."

"Oh my gosh" Judy gasped, her paws shooting up and covering her mouth.

"That kid was wonderful, even I cried when I found out she’d passed. Fru Fru didn't speak for weeks; it was like a piece of her had died with her twin." Finnick remembered with a mellow tone.

"Since then, Mr. Big has had a tough no drugs rule in Tundra Town and heaven help the mammal who tries to peddle drugs in his territory." Nick explained further.

"Poor Fru Fru, she seems so happy. I never would have guessed she had been through such a tragedy." Judy commented.

"And that's why Mr. Big insisted I bring this intel to you two; the only cops he trusts." Finnick said, before reaching into the inner pocket of his blazer and producing a clear baggy with two bright pink pills inside it, "They call it 'Morrigan', after the goddess of war; it's a new type of addictive steroid."

Nick took the baggy of pills and slipped them in his pocket to reduce his friend's exposure, "You said two crime syndicate leaders have joined forces, which ones?" Nick asked, knowing all the dark corners of the city.

"Madame Misdaad and Professor Rattigan," Finnick confessed in a hushed voice.

"Shit." Nick quietly hissed, taking a large swig of his beer to calm his nerves.

"What's wrong? Why is that bad?" Judy asked, worried by Nick's reaction.

"I guess you never knew growing up in the sticks and all, but these two mob bosses are brutal. Madame Misdaad is a Zebra and the only reason she ain't in jail is cos' she's got most of the city's cops in her pocket." Finnick answered, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

"Dirty cops?" Judy queried with a whisper.

"Not all cops are honest like you and Nick." Finnick laid out some home truths.

"And if Misdaad is working with Rattigan, then we're really in trouble." Nick added.

"Why, who's Rattigan?" Judy probed.

"Rattigan is the biggest drug chemist in the city and runs all the gangs in Little Rodentia. As flamboyant as he is, a murderous rumour is he has a Wildcat enforcer named Felicia that eats mice who don't obey him." Nick recalled with a grim shudder.

"The cat eats mice?!" Judy squeaked with fear.

Suddenly, Finnick's message tone buzzed. The fennec quickly read the message before saying, "I got to go, duty calls and all that."

"Thanks for the heads up, we appreciate it." Nick said truthfully.

"Listen, just between you two and me, you might want to go to the fight arena in Sahara Square tomorrow night; Misdaad's dealers are known to deal there." Finnick offered before walking to the bar and hopping a bar stool to give Gompers a hundred dollar bill before leaving.

"What do we do?" Nick asked his more experienced partner.

"We're on the late shift tomorrow, when we go in we give the intel to the chief." Judy decided.

000

Nick and Judy only stayed at The Champion a little while longer, just to finish their beers. They had decided to walk back to Nick's place, grabbing a extra large Veggie supreme pizza with a side order of deep fried crickets for Nick on the way home. "So, what movie are we going to watch tonight?" Nick asked, already munching on the fired crickets as they walked into his apartment building.

"Something scary," Judy teased, nudging her best friend in the ribs.

"C'mon Carrots, after the day we just had, I need some comedy." Nick rebuffed.

"Fine, you big baby; comedy it is." Judy sniggered.

"…What a day." Nick sighed, as he pressed the elevator button. Nick lived on the eighth floor and he didn't feel like trudging up the staircase.

"You ok?" Judy asked, seeing a crack of vulnerability in her favourite Fox's face.

"All I wanted to do today was take you out to breakfast. I'm sorry, Fluff." Nick confessed, as the elevator door opened.

"Why are you apologising, you dumb Fox?" Judy brushed off, stepping inside the elevator and pushing the 8th floor button "Although, meeting your ex was unexpected."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Nick groaned, "It's a shame that poor kit has Victoria for a mom."

"Hey, don't be mean, I bet she's a great Mom." Judy chastised, "Anyway, I think the rally outside City Hall was worse."

"I'm kinda' surprised you're a Moon supporter." Nick commented, not realising how offensive he was being. The elevator started moving up.

"What do you mean?" Judy asked, feeling a punch in the gut.

"Well you know…." Nick trailed off, realising the mistake he had made.

Judy cleared her throat, put the pizza box on the floor of the lift and hit the 'Emergency Stop' button on the elevator panel, bringing the machine to a shuddering halt. "No, I don't know, enlighten me." Judy said aggressively.

"Carrots I didn't mean…" Nick tried to deescalate the situation.

"No; tell me what you meant and be honest, I can tell when you're lying Nicholas Piberius Wilde." Judy threatened, placing her paws on her hips.

"Well, um, it's just," Nick struggled, sweating, "you're from Bunnyburrow."

"And what has that got to do with anything?" Judy questioned, feeling hurt.

"Carrots…" Nick said, losing his composure.

"Tell me Nick!" Judy barked, tears threatening to fall from her serene eyes.

"It's just that mammals from the countryside tend to be more conservative." Nick said, knowing each word would hurt the woman he loved.

Judy was quiet for a good second and her fists were tightened with anger "Do you think all Bunnies are like that?" she spat.

"No, of course not," Nick said, trying to recover, his heart breaking upon seeing the wounded look in his Sly Bunny's eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Judy shouted, her eyes streaming tears.

"Tell you what?" Nick choked with panic.

"That you're an Inter!" Judy answered with force "I'm your best friend and you never told me, why?"

"Because…" Nick whispered back away from her.

"Because why!?" Judy yelled, frustrated and pulling at her velvety soft ears.

"I thought I might lose you." Nick confessed, scared of what would transpire next.

"Lose me?" Judy uttered looking directly at Nick's emerald eyes.

"Carrots, no…Judy, you've gotta' know how I feel about you." Nick said with a strained voice, taking a nervous step towards the sublime beauty before him.

"Nick?" Judy's voice fluttered like her heart, she then got a steely look in her amethyst eyes and charged at the handsome vulpine, jumping up and wrapping her arms around her Dumb Fox and planted her lips upon his. After ten or so seconds she pulled back and whispered "Nick, belong to me, be mine and only mine." before rubbing her cheeks upon his, leaving her scent on him.

Nick hadn't felt so powerless in years, but he was glad to be Judy's love and he confirmed this with the words, "Judy, I'm yours."

Judy heard this and threw aside her inhibitions. She grabbed Nick's hat and tossed it away before planting another kiss on her love's lips, "I want you." Judy growled seductively into Nick's ear before nibbling on it playfully.  
Nick heard this and let his instinct take over. He fell to the floor of the elevator with Judy straddled on top of him, yanking off his tie and letting it land on his brush. She then dared, "Tear my clothes off."

"What?" Nick yipped, whilst Judy caressed his chest.

"Use your claws and tear off my clothes." Judy ordered before lovingly licking her Fox's cheek.

Nick obeyed and swiped at Judy's pants leaving clear tear marks before ripping off her bulletproof vest and popping open her shirt so he could see her bare chest, Nick nuzzled into the grey fur of her chest before saying "I love you."

"I love you to." Judy cried before kissing Nick deeply.


	5. A long night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Judy come clean with one another about how they feel, Jack Savage revisits some dark memories and in a warehouse in Sahara Square a pair of legends make a very dramatic entrance.

** Chapter 5- A long night. **

Nick and Judy didn't leave the elevator for half an hour. When they finally got into Nick's apartment, they got 'distracted' in the living room for another forty five minutes before eventually arriving in Nick's bedroom and got a little more 'distracted'. Now both of them were exhausted, and even though they were breathless and their muscles ached, they were entwined in a lovers' embrace. "Oh my gosh." Judy panted, loving the feel of her naked body on Nick's. "Did that really just happen?"

"Felt pretty real to me, sweetheart." Nick replied with his signature charm, savouring the moment.

"I love you." Judy said softly, nuzzling her face into the fur of Nick's neck.

"I love you, too." Nick responded with ease, "It's strange; I wanted to say those three words for so long and now I can just let loose with them."

Judy retreated from her lovers’ neck and looked at Nick's dreamy green eyes, "How long have you wanted to say it?" she asked, knowing he would be honest.

"Just over a year," Nick answered, unconsciously holding the bunny a little tighter, "it was the night before my final exam at the academy, you remember?"

"I remember wanting to kiss you next to the obstacle course." Judy confessed.

"Is that so?" Nick chuckled, kissing the top of her head.

"It took all of my strength not to pounce on top of you and rip your clothes off." Judy explained, her paws tracing the outline of Nick's body.

"What about you? When did you figure you were in love with the most handsome Fox in all of Zootopia?" Nick asked cheekily, his brush wagging.

Judy gave a little giggle before answering, "Under the bridge."

"Huh?" Nick sounded, noticing that Judy's voice had lowered a little.

"Back during the Night Howler case; when I came back to Zootopia to find you. It was the first time you held me in your arms that I knew I loved you." Judy admitted.

"Carrots." Nick simply said, his pulse quickening again.

"After the press conference, after we had that fight, I was heartbroken. I know we had only known each other for a short time, but when I saw you walk out that door I had never been so hurt; and the worst thing was I knew it was my fault." Judy unloaded, her voice timid.

"That was a long time ago. Anyways, you said you were sorry." Nick tried to ease her worries.

"Please Nick, I need to say this." Judy spoke, her voice a little shaky from trepidation "I've had five boyfriends in my life and every break up with them never hurt as much as when I fought with you. And that time apart; all I could think about was you and how you looked so betrayed when I reached for that Fox repellent. So that day under the bridge when you forgave me, when you held me, I knew that I'd fallen in love with you."

"You Bunnies, so emotional," Nick replied, running his paw over her cheek, feeling a trio of scars under the fur.

"Can I confess something?" Judy asked, sounding a little embarrassed.

"You just did, Fluff." Nick kidded.

Judy ignored the joke and said "I kind of did something a little strange under the bridge that day; I marked you."

"Say what now?" Nick asked, arching his eyebrow.

"You thought I was trying to steal the pen, but I was rubbing my scent all over you." Judy owned up.

Nick let a laugh spring from his mouth, then cooed, "Awww, Carrots is possessive of her Fox."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Judy grumbled.

"Well, I'm pretty sure we're both covered in each other's scents now." Nick commented, before placing his paw under Judy's chin and guided her in for a tender yet passionate kiss.

After a dozen or so seconds the kiss broke and Judy had a love drunk look in her amethyst eyes, coupled with a satisfied smile "Why did we waste so much time worrying? Why didn't we just say how we felt?" she asked, laying her head on Nick's chest, enjoying the rhythm of his heartbeat.

"I didn't think you were an Inter," Nick answered, "and truth be told, I didn't want to lose you."

Judy giggled a bit then answered "Ditto."

"So, have you always had a thing for other species?" Nick asked, curious.

"No, all my old boyfriends were rabbits. You were the first guy that wasn't a bunny that I liked." Judy explained "How about you? When did you figure out you were an Inter?"

"When I was ten," Nick revealed.

"You were that young?" Judy asked with surprise.

"Yeah, she lived in the same neighbourhood as me. She was a couple of years older than me, but I had one hell of a crush on her, she used to babysit me when my Mom went to work." Nick reminisced.

"What species was she?" Judy enquired.

Nick looked at Judy and sighed, "I'll tell you, but you gotta' promise me you won't freak out."

"Ok." Judy replied carefully, wondering what could freak her out.

"She was a bunny." Nick revealed.

"A bunny?!" Judy squeaked loudly, "You're first crush was a bunny?!"

"Yeah, she was Jack's big sister." Nick added, loving the expressions Judy's face was displaying.

"Wait, does this mean you've always had a thing for rabbits?" Judy pondered out loud.

"Well, yeah, but most bunnies aren't that fond of foxes." Nick shrugged.

"So, I'm the first bunny you've had sex with?" Judy asked further.

"Yep, you're the first Carrots, and lucky for me I got the most beautiful bunny in existence." Nick flirted.

"Charmer," Judy said, playfully shoving her lover, "so, when did your Mom find out, you know, about you being a inter?"

"Mom's always been pretty liberal, so when I started dating a badger when I was 13 it didn't faze her, she just accepted it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm inter but I like vixens too. I guess species never really mattered to me." Nick answered, feeling comfortable sharing these feelings with Judy

"I…I haven't told my parents yet, that I'm an inter." Judy said, sounding a bit ashamed "I mean, before tonight I'd never been with a man who wasn't a rabbit."

"It's ok." Nick soothed "You tell them when you're ready, I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you." Judy replied,’ but what are we going to do about work?"

"What about work?" Nick asked back.

"If we tell everyone we're dating, Bogo will split us up; partners can't date, it's a rule." Judy answered.

"Listen, Judy, I want this to work. I want us to be a couple, but until we figure everything out with the ZPD and your parents, we'll keep this between us and the people we trust." Nick offered.

"And you don't mind hiding for a while?" Judy asked, relieved Nick was thinking the same thing as her.

"As long as we go public eventually, I'm serious about you Judy and I don't want to hide what I feel for you." Nick replied with sincerity.

Judy felt a rush of emotions surge through her when Nick said these sweet words and those emotions manifested into action rather quickly a she shuffled up the bed and began kissing Nick all over his muzzle before rubbing him with her scent glands under her chin in between kisses. Soon her kisses grew more daring and lustful; she started gently biting Nick's ears and whispered in the most seductive tone she could muster "One more time, Slick."

"Again?" Nick laughed, letting his claws loose and letting one gently glide over her thigh, sending a shiver of excitement down her spine "You're really playing into the horny bunny stereotype."

"Well, that's one stereotype that's actually true." Judy teased before snogging her new boyfriend.

000

Jack Savage couldn't sleep; he was stood on the balcony of his plush five star hotel room looking out over the neon lit city skyline that illuminated the night sky. His grey and black striped ears were flat, reflecting his mood, as he sipped from a small glass full of bourbon and ice. He was just wearing his black trousers, white shirt and had loosened his black tie. Seeing Nick today had filled him with emotions of nostalgia and joy, but also regret and sadness. It had been over twenty years since he been in this city and he had made every effort not to return, but now his work had led him here; back to the city he was born in and had taken so much from him. He could see the Sherwood district from his balcony; it was easy to spot since it was the one with the least lights and the most police sirens coming from. Jack and Nick used to joke that a Sherwood kid's lullaby was gunfire and sirens; not that funny, but sadly true. He kept staring at the shadowy buildings to the east and memories began to surface…

**_Sherwood District, 26 years ago…._ **

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you," the eleven rabbit kits sang "happy birthday dear Skippy, happy birthday to you."

Jack and his family were in the kitchen of their small apartment. His mother looked exhausted from the twelve hour shift she had just done at the grocery store, but she looked happy none the less. Mrs. Savage's boss had heard it was Jack's birthday today and had given the huge chocolate cake to her for free; he had even iced on the words 'Happy 7th Birthday Skippy' onto the cake. Jack was staring at the candles on the birthday cake with utter joy, he hadn't expected a birthday cake, and he knew that his Mom was struggling with money, but now that he saw this cake he felt like he was a very lucky boy. "Go on, Skippy, blow out your candles." Mrs. Savage urged her eldest son, her eyes smiling behind her thick glasses.

Jack closed his eyes and made his wish ‘ _I wish Mom had enough money to get by’_ before blowing out his candles to the sound of cheers and applause from his mother and siblings. "Watcha' wish for Skippy?" Bella, his youngest sister, asked.

"Don't ask him that, it won't come true." Jo, the eldest child of the family told her as she folded her arms across her peach coloured dress.

"Ok let's cut this cake, shall we?" Mrs Savage said, going over to the drawer to get a knife.

KNOCK KNOCK! Came a sound at the door. Mrs Savage went over to front door, which was attached to the kitchen and looked through the peephole and uttered "Shit." under her breath before unlocking the door and opening it, to reveal a pudgy looking buck rabbit dressed in a denim cut with a black vest and engine oil stained jeans and smoking a cigarette. To the scruffy rabbit's left was a well groomed Skunk wearing a fashionable red shirt with a rose design going down one side and plain black slacks.

"Thumper and Flower, what a horrible surprise," Mrs Savage sassed. All of her kits were silent with fear of the debt collectors.

"Nice to see you too, Mrs Savage," Flower replied, the skunk bowing mockingly.

"It's that time of the month sweet cheeks. Mr. Prince wants his rent money." Thumper stated in a gruff voice.

"Stay there, I'll go get it." Mrs Savage warned before heading in the direction of her bedroom.

Jack and his siblings were around the kitchen table staring silently at the two intimidating figures in the doorway. Flower grinned menacingly at the kits, causing some of them to gasp and step back. Luckily for them their fearless mother came back into the room with a manila envelope and handed it to Thumper "Check if it's all there." Flower instructed his fellow thug causing Mrs Savage to show a flicker of panic in her brown eyes.

Thumper quickly flicked through the money and grunted "Rent's $300 and this $290, you trying to make a fool of us?"

"I don't have the money," Mrs Savage reacted in a defensive voice "it's only ten dollars I'll just add it next month."

Flower and Thumper didn't look impressed, the skunk then noticed an sealed envelope on the table beside the birthday cake with words Jack 'Skippy' Savage on it "I wonder." Flower smirked before stepping over and grabbing the envelope.

"Hey, that's mine!" Jack protested but was held back by his protective big sister Jo.

"Please, it's his birthday." Mrs Savage pleaded "We scrimped and saved to give it to him."

Flower ripped open the birthday card to find two $10 dollar bills "Here's the missing ten bucks." He smiled before screwing up the other ten dollars and throwing back at the angry looking Jack "Happy Birthday, kid."

"Have you no heart?!" Mrs Savage vented.

Thumper let out a wheezing laugh whilst slapping his gut "Oh we got heart, but hearts don't pay the bills, but Mr. Prince does."

"Let's hit the road, Thumper, we got to hit up five more apartments." Flower said.

"Wait a sec, I want to make a proposition to this fine lady right here." Thumper spoke very sleazily.

"What?" Mrs Savage said, gritting her teeth with her eyes narrowing.

"I could give you back that $300, if you spend an hour of fun time with me. Just tell the kids to go out and play." Thumper proposed, his hand reaching around her and gripping her cottontail.

Mrs Savage's hand shot up and slapped Thumper hard across his face "Get out of here, you bastard!" she screamed.

Thumper staggered back, his face twisted with anger as he balled his paw into a fist ready to launch it into her face, but was stopped when a red paw gripped tightly around his wrist "What the...?" Thumper sounded.

"The lady told you to leave." A threatening voice spoke. Flower and Thumper turned to see three Foxes behind them; a mother holding a stew pot, a young kit with a wrapped present and an angry looking father ready to rip the two debt collectors apart.

"C'mon Thumper, let's bounce." Flower said in a frightened tone, grabbing the pervy rabbit by his biker cut. Within seconds both of the debt collectors had disappeared through the hallway and down the stairwell.

"Robin." Mrs Savage sighed with relief.

"Did they hurt you, Hannah?" Robin asked with concern, placing a comforting paw on the rabbit's shoulder.

"Only my pride," Hannah Savage played down, fixing her glasses.

"Those rogues," Marian growled, letting her sharp teeth show. Although her anger faded when she saw Jack, "Ah, there's the birthday boy now." She smiled as she set the stew pot on the kitchen counter.

"Skippy!" Nick greeted, loud and happy, the 7 year old Fox kit running over to his best friend, "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks Nick." Jack replied with a mellow voice, a little disheartened that the skunk had taken half of his birthday money.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked, worried by the tone of the young bunny.

"That mean Flower took some of my birthday money." Jack answered with a sniff, a tear rolling down his face.

"I'm sorry." Nick said with sympathy.

Robin saw the sorrow on Jack's face. He knelt down to him and said kindly, "Be a stout hearted lad and don't let it get you down. Now tell me, young Jack, how old are you today?"

"I'm seven, going on eight." Jack answered the Fox, who was dressed in a light green t shirt and darker green cargo pants.

"Seven? Well that does make you the man of the house, and we've got just the right present for you. Nick would you kindly give it to him?" Robin asked, nodding at his son.

"Here ya' go." Nick grinned, passing the wrapped present to Jack.

Jack, with a huge smile on his face, unwrapped the present and his face lit up with delight when he saw what was under the wrapping paper; a kid sized bow with a few dozen wooden training arrows "Gee, thanks Mr and Mrs Loxley." Jack beamed

"You're very welcome Skippy and I've made your favourite veggie stew for later." Marian smiled.

"C'mon Skippy let's go test out your new bow. Bet I'm a better shot." Nick taunted, holding up his own bow and quiver full of training arrows.

"Bet you the biggest slice of birthday cake I can kick your butt!" Jack teased back.

"You're on!" Nick agreed before racing out of the door towards the stairwell with Jack and all his siblings following.

"Wait, I forgot my arrows!" Jack said before dashing back down the hallway to his apartment, but slowed down when he heard his mother and Nick's parents talking.

"Does that happen often?" Robin asked, his tone serious. "Thumper touching you like that?"

"No, that's the first time." Mrs Savage confided. Jack peeked from behind the doorway unnoticed to see the three adults talking.

"It's a good thing we came when we did." Marian commented, making a pot of tea for the three of them.

"Thank you, the pair of you are such good friends…I," Mrs Savage's voice broke and tears burst from her eyes "I c-can't do this!"

"Hey, come on now." Marian calmed, wrapping the weeping rabbit in a hug "It's going to be ok."

"I'm up to my ears in debt. When Frank died we weren't paid up on the life insurance," Mrs Savage cried "I work nearly 70 hours a week and it still isn't enough, I'm in so much trouble."

Robin produced a thick wad of cash bound by a rubber band from his pocked and placed it in Mr's Savage's paws "Here, its three grand, it should help." He spoke gently.

"Robin? I can't take this." Mrs Savage said, shaking her head.

"It's a little gift from the Merry Mammals. Some drug pushers were hanging outside the youth centre, so they liberated them of their ill gotten gains." Robin smiled smugly.

Mrs Savage finally cracked a smile, took off her glasses and wiped away her tears, "You and Little John been robbing again?" she asked.

"Rob? Tut tut tut," Robin faked disapproval, "that's a naughty word, we never rob. We just sort of borrow a bit from those who can afford it."

"Hide the money, Hannah and if those creeps try anything again, we'll send Little John to teach them some manners." Marian convinced.

"Bless you, the pair of you, and Little John." Mrs Savage thanked, hugging Marian again before going over and hugging Robin.

"We only wish we could do more. Keep your chin up, someday there'll be happiness in Sherwood again, you'll see." Robin promised.

**_Now…_ **

Jack was brought out of his memories by the sound of the balcony door sliding open, Jack turned to see his boss and girlfriend Skye standing there in a black silk dressing gown with a fretting expression on her muzzle. "You ok, Jack?" The Arctic fox asked, going over to her buck.

"Just looking out over the old neighbourhood," Jack admitted, staring at the contents of his whiskey glass.

"Thinking about the past?" Skye guessed, stepping behind Jack and wrapping her arms around him, resting her chin on her shorter boyfriend's head.

"Just seeing Nick today brought everything back to the surface. I can't believe he's a cop now." Jack said, taking a sip of bourbon.

"Ok birthday boy, no more brooding," Skye said, hugging her handsome bunny tighter "there is no way you're going to spend your 33rd birthday moping. Tomorrow, we're taking the day off."

"What about the M.M. case?" Jack asked, feeling comfort from the hug.

"It can wait," Skye replied, looking out across the city skyline "I mean, it's not like the M.M gang is going to pull something again so soon."

000

The warehouse district in Sahara Square was eerily quiet at night; every scumbag and lowlife of the city knew to avoid the area when the sun went down. Security Guards were cooped up in their cabins, being paid off by the various mob families to turn a blind eye. And as for the cops, well let's just say a few fat envelopes of cash can make the law disappear from the warehouse district.

But there was one huge wooden warehouse, painted blue, that was at the centre and it was simply known as the boardroom due to the amount of meetings and big deals that went on there. Tonight, Madame Misdaad sat at the expensive mahogany table in the centre of the warehouse, enjoying a glass of vintage red wine. The Zebra held the glass in her hoof waiting for her guests to arrive whilst being guarded by ten of her best mammals, ready to kill, or die, for her if necessary. The fifty year old mob boss enjoyed these meetings, especially with other gangsters, she loved to converse with her kind and if the conversation turned sour, well, the resulting violence was a lark. Even after twenty years as head of her family she loved being the boss and she was addicted to the power. A car horn tooted and Misdaad turned her head to see a classic black Bentley come through the open doors that her bodyguards flanked. The luxury car pulled up and the Chauffer, a grizzled and scar faced kangaroo, hopped out of the driver's seat and opened the passenger door which caused a mechanical walkway to extend onto the table top complete with red carpet and out emerged Professor Padraic Rattigan, the most powerful rodent in all of Zootopia, dressed in a fine black suit, a purple and pink striped cravat, a formal cape, a top hat and walking with a gold handled cane, "Bahati, my dear, so good to see you." Rattigan greeted with enthusiasm as he walked across the table towards the zebra.

"Padraic, you look dashing as ever." Misdaad complimented, lowering her head and carefully kissed the cheeks of the rat, which he reciprocated.

"I trust business is good." Rattigan said, making small talk whilst his hench mammals emerged from the car with two 'guests'. Rattigan's employees consisted of a shabby looking bat with a peg leg, a curvy white furred wildcat dressed in a pink pant suit and an inebriated brown mouse who looked like he'd been drinking since noon, but struggling in the wildcat's paws were two mice with cotton sacks over their heads, struggling and shouting obscenities.

"Business is good, thanks to our new alliance." Misdaad answered before looking at the mice in the cat's paws, "Are those our guests?"

"Yes, I ran into them at the opera of all places." Rattigan smirked before looking up at his feline enforcer and saying, "Felicia you can put them down now."

Felicia obeyed and placed both mice down before removing the sacks from their heads, both of them squinting in the light. One of the mice was female with white fur wearing an expensive purple coat with matching hat and jewellery "What is the meaning of this?" The mouse raged, her accent foreign and refined.

"Bianca, are you ok?" The other mouse worried out loud, dashing over to his spouse. He was wearing a black tux with a blue bow tie.

"I'm fine, Bernard." Bianca assured her husband before turning to see the devious Rattigan "You, I should've known." She seethed.

"What do you want?" Bernard snapped, taking hold of his wife's hand.

"Mr and Mrs Gabor, me and my friend just want to have a civil little chat." Rattigan lied, failing to charm the mice.

Bernard glanced over at Misdaad and commented "You and your friend have a strange definition of civil."

"This is a kidnapping!" Bianca shouted.

"A kidnapping would suggest a ransom but no, we want to give you money." Misdaad corrected. As if on cue, one of her bodyguards, a porcupine, put a briefcase on the table and opened it to reveal a large amount of money.

"What is this?" Bianca asked with venom.

"You see, you two are the owners of land just outside the city limits, about a hundred acres and we want to buy it." Rattigan proposed.

"But why? The land is worthless, you can't build property on it, and it’s all boggy." Bernard questioned, trying to figure out the mobsters' logic.

"All the more reason to sell it to us, it's valued at three hundred thousand dollars, we're willing to pay ten million for it." Misdaad offered.

"As if we would ever accept your blood money," Bianca defied, turning her nose up at the gangsters.

"Come now, we know you two are big philanthropists; think how many mammals you could help with your little organisation, the rescue something?" Rattigan attempted to ensnare.

"The Rescue Aid Society stands for unity and equality amongst mammals; you're just criminals who care only about greed!" Bernard bellowed, getting sick of this meeting.

"Is that how you truly feel?" Misdaad queried in a dry voice "Are you sure we can't make you reconsider?"

"Go to hell." Bianca responded, standing proudly beside her husband.

"Very well," Misdaad sighed, "Plan B it is. It's much easier to acquire the land once you're dead."

Rattigan let out a demonic cackle before commanding, "Felicia, its dinner time."

The wildcat quickly scooped up both mice, "Let us go!" Bernard fought, biting at the paws gripping him.

"Bernard, I love you." Bianca whispered with fear as she saw the cat's razor sharp teeth.

But just as Felicia opened her jaws she was forced onto her back with a wail of pain and the mice flew from her paws and landed beside her unharmed. Felicia had barely any strength, but forced herself to look at the source of her pain, an arrow was embedded in her shoulder. Her vision became hazy and she quickly succumbed to the tranquilizer in the arrow head. "Felicia!" Rattigan howled with concern.

"OO-DI-LALLY!" A voice cheered from above. Everyone looked to the rafters of the warehouse to see a figure crouched on a beam. It was a red fox, with his eyes covered by the darkness of his green hood which was part of his tunic. He wore gold coloured bracers and his paws held a high tech bow already armed with a fresh arrow. His black pants had a pouch strapped to his leg and he had a leather quiver full of arrows strapped to his back.

"The Hood?!" Misdaad gasped with a mix of shock and rage.

"The one and only!" The Hood boasted, "And don't forget Little John."

Little John introduced himself by launching his fist into the jaw of Rattigan's kangaroo chauffer, all eyes went to the whelp of the marsupial as a towering grizzly bear dressed in combat fatigues stood grinning at the criminals "Evening folks!" Little John's voice boomed joyously.

"Kill them!" Rattigan bellowed, furious that his most valuable henchwoman had been harmed. Immediately, both his and Misdaad's mammals pulled out their pistols and began shooting at the archer and the bear. The Hood flipped to the left and let loose an arrow that pierced the fine mahogany table and released a blue pulse of electricity than killed the lights.

"What the?!" Fidget shouted, the bat henchman of Rattigan was trying to listen for movement.

"An EMP arrow," Rattigan realised, both hating and admiring the genius of it. All that could be heard was sporadic gunfire and cries of pain for thirty seconds until the unmistakeable sound of a car speeding away emanated in the warehouse. The lights slowly flicked on and Misdaad and Rattigan found that most of their bodyguards had been rendered unconscious either by tranq arrow or brute force, that Bianca and Bernard were rescued by the M.M gang and the Bentley was gone along with the briefcase full of ten million dollars. "I will kill them for this!" Rattigan's anger boiled over.

"I'll put the word out," Misdaad tried to compose herself. She got out her phone to call for back up and said, "A million each for the heads of the Hood and Little John."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! The Hood and Little John are back in business. Next time on Take A Stand Judy gets an unexpected guest, the ZPD plan a drug bust and Clawhauser makes a big decision. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW and c ya soon)


	6. The morning after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy get's an unexpected guest, Nick learns that the original MM gang are behind the latest crime spree, Bogo tries to make peace with Clawhauser and Nick's ex Victoria makes a decision.

** Chapter 6- The Morning after. **

Judy turned over in the bed hoping to entwine herself around Nick, but only found an empty space. She slowly opened her purple eyes to have her disappointment confirmed, “Nick?” she yawned before letting her sleepy eyes focus on the nightstand on Nick’s side. There was a yellow post it note on the small lamp. Judy reached over and ripped the note off of the lamp and read it ‘Morning Carrots, woke up early and found that all of your clothes have been shredded to ribbons by yours truly, so I took your keys and headed to your place to get you your spare uniform. I’ll bring back muffins and coffee, stay beautiful- Love Nick XXX’. Judy finished reading this and let out a small titter before stretching in the spacious king sized bed. All the memories of last night’s intimacy raced through her mind and she felt giddy as she remembered being so close with Nick. That was the greatest night of her life, not just because of the love making. It was also because she had declared her love for the mammal she loved most in the world and he felt the same; not to say that the love making wasn’t a highlight. She had confided in Nick that she had five boyfriends and that she slept with three of them, but her sixth, newest boyfriend was the best sexual partner she had ever had.

Nick had been so passionate and energetic, whilst being attentive and caring during sex and Judy felt free to be herself, to let her emotions and lust take hold of her. In laymen’s terms, they were in synch. Judy had that warm fuzzy feeling in her heart when hope and love are the overriding emotions. She let out a love filled sigh as she got out the bed and quickly realized she wasn’t wearing anything, so she went over to Nick’s wardrobe and pulled open the drawers at the bottom to find Nick’s ZPD t-shirt before heading to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Judy emerged from the bathroom after a nice shower, humming a tune to herself as she walked into the open plan kitchen/ living room area dressed in Nick’s ZPD T-shirt that was way too big for her. Judy went over to the fridge, opened it up and took out a carton of orange juice from the shelf and drank it straight it from the carton. She had seen Nick do it so she assumed he wouldn’t mind. Judy strolled over to the sofa and flopped onto it, noticing the neatly folded pile of her shredded clothing from last night’s 'Activities’. She lifted up her knickers (panties to you North Americans) to find claw and teeth marks had tore through the fabric and thought comically, _‘He’s buying me some new underwear’._

She retrieved the TV remote from its usual resting place on the coffee table and flicked it on. The TV station that came on screen was ZNN and the ever presentable Fabine Growley was at the news desk reading the headlines. “Election fever has hit the city with first polls for the mayoral vote released; the young conservative DA Raymond Bastille leads with 59% whilst his opponent, liberal councilman Trevor Moon, trails with 41%. Pundits have been quick to point out that the rally outside city hall showed a division in public opinion over the rights of interspecies couples and that the election may be decided on this issue.”

Judy felt her ears go droopy upon hearing this. She wished Nick was next to her to give her some words of encouragement, but instead she was alone with her thoughts. 59% of the city wants to vote for that jerk Bastille; ‘ _Unbelievable’_ Judy thought ‘ _do that many mammals really want inters not to marry? Or do they just hate Inters full stop?’_ Judy could feel her mind turning to sad thoughts, but shook them off since there was no way she was losing her happy buzz from the night before. She was in a relationship and that was something to be happy about. Why waste her time dwelling on what other mammals would think of her new boyfriend? She loved Nick and he loved her back, that’s all that mattered.

“In other news; billionaire philanthropists Bianca and Bernard Gabor were rescued last night after being kidnapped by two high profile crime bosses,” Fabine read out “the M.M gang apparently swooped in to save the day and dropped off the well respected couple at ZPD’s Precinct 1 before taking a stolen car on a joy ride and throwing out millions of dollars throughout the Rainforest District.” Judy could picture the pandemonium within the precinct with this craziness of the M.M gang’s latest escapade and was kind of thankful she wasn’t at work until this afternoon. Just then, the unmistakable sound of keys jingling at the front door made Judy’s ears spring up, _‘It must be Nick’_ Judy thought happily before grabbing her torn knickers and announcing in a theatrical voice, “You, Nick Wilde, are taking me shopping,” walking towards the door, holding up her ripped underwear up for her boyfriend to see, “you may have shredded my panties, but on the plus side you get to buy me some sexy lingerie.”

The door unlocked and opened to reveal a very uncomfortable looking Marian Wilde standing in the doorway holding a plastic carrier bag in one paw and a pizza box and small container of fried crickets in the other. Judy let out a loud gasp when she saw Nick’s mom and had never felt more embarrassed in her entire life. She could feel the skin under her fur heat up from the embarrassment and felt a bead of sweat roll down her temple. The two shocked women were quiet for about ten seconds until Marian said in timid voice, “I’m going to close the door and pretend like the last thirty seconds never happened, is that ok with you, dear?”

“That would be great.” Judy panted, close to hyperventilating with anxiety. The door shut and Judy quickly threw the knickers along with her other ripped up clothes behind the sofa.

After a moment, Marian opened the door again wearing a smile and seemingly forgetting the last half a minute, “Judy, what a surprise.” Marian smiled at the still flustered rabbit.

“M-Marian, good morning,” Judy stuttered, walking over to the vixen.

“I just came round to drop off some of Nick’s uniforms that needed sewing,” Marian continued, putting the plastic bag full of ZPD uniforms on the kitchen counter along with a box of cold veggie supreme pizza and cold fried crickets, “and I found these fast food boxes with Nick’s name on them in the elevator, so I thought it best I bring them in.”

“Oh….” Judy said, remembering the events that transpired in the elevator the night before “I guess it’s a junk food breakfast.”

“My thoughts exactly dear,” Marian agreed, going over to the kitchen cupboard and retrieving a bottle of hot sauce, nabbing a slice of pizza and applying a few drops of sauce to the slice before taking a big old bite of it “Lovely; you can’t beat hot sauce on day old pizza.” she said with a full mouth.

Judy followed suit and grabbed a slice of pizza before Marian handed over the hot sauce bottle and Judy proceeded to spritz her slice with chili laden sauce before munching it, her taste buds and Amethyst eyes coming to life as she cooed, “So tasty.”

“So,” Marian continued to talk whilst feasting on her pizza slice, “I trust you took my advice about taking charge seeing as I have a very strange case of deja vu going on; with you in my son’s apartment and dressed in his shirt.”

Judy looked a little shy, but couldn’t help but smile back “I suppose.”

“I suppose?” Marian mimicked playfully “My dear Judy, I need a straightforward answer; are you my kit’s girlfriend?”

“Yes.” Judy said proudly, which brought a wide and joyous grin to Marian’s face.

“Splendid.” Marian yipped, looking genuinely happy, “Nick is lucky to have you.”

“I’m lucky to have him,” Judy replied, “he’s my dumb fox.”

“Hahahaha,” Marian tried to suppress her laugh and failed “dumb fox. He likes to think he’s smart, but is a big dummy just like his father.”

“Marian,” Judy spoke with a careful voice, “it means a lot that you approve of me. Not everyone is so open minded.”

Marian let out a sigh and walked over to Judy and said in a dull tone “Sorry about this.” before pinching one of Judy’s long velvety ears.

“Oww! What the heck?!” Judy squealed, rubbing her now sore ear.

“Sorry, my dear, but I needed to teach you a lesson; never apologize for who you are and never thank people for accepting who you are, you just be you.” Marian stated with authority.

Judy forgot the pain and took in the words spoken to her. They were blunt, but kind, and they caused a spring of feelings to burst from her, “You’re the best Marian.” Judy gushed before hugging the vixen.

Marian let out a mini chuckle before saying in a kidding tone “It has been said before.”

“How did you get in?” Judy asked. This had been bugging her.

“Nick gave me a spare key whilst you were in the shower the other day.” Marian explained “Speaking of Nicholas, where is he?”

“He’s gone to my apartment to pick up my spare uniform.” Judy answered, picking up another slice of pizza.

“You two don’t have a day off? What a shame.” Marian sympathized.

“We get a day off on Wednesday and the weekend, so it’s not so bad.” Judy added.

“Lucky you, I’m on a late shift today, but the rest of the week it’s 8am til 6pm.” Marian replied.

“What do you do for a living?” Judy asked back.

“I’m an IT technician at St. Zoo High school in the Sherwood district.” Marian confirmed.

“Oh yeah I’ve heard of that school, it’s supposed to be really good there.” Judy commented.

“The kids are great.” Marian smiled before her and Judy’s ears pricked up upon hearing a new set of keys unlocking the door.

Nick opened the door, unaware of his Mom’s presence, carrying a small gym bag containing Judy’s spare uniform and a cardboard double cup holder with two cups of Snarlbucks coffee. However, as he saw the two most important women in his life in the kitchen, he gave an awkward look and muttered, “Busted.”

000

Victoria Todd was a vixen that many of her employees and business rivals feared. You don’t get to be the CEO and majority shareholder of one of the world’s biggest banks by playing nice, she was fierce with both her words and her actions, but the mammals who were close to her knew this was an act; Victoria was kind and gentle when not in public and doted over her daughter like any other loving mother. And like any normal parent she was dropping her little girl off at school, the only difference was that they were in the back of a limousine along with Victoria’s personal assistant, Grace, a well dressed Panda who was swiping away at her smartphone. “So what lessons have you got today?” Victoria asked her daughter.

“I have math and English in the morning then art and music in the afternoon.” Luna replied in a bright voice. The red fox kit was in her posh private school uniform that consisted of a green blazer with the school’s insignia stitched on, white blouse, a red tie and a red tartan skirt.

“Ah, music is your favourite class.” Victoria smiled, noticing her baby holding her violin case.

“Yeah and its Olivia’s favourite too!” Luna added with excitement.

“Olivia can play an instrument?” Victoria pondered. Olivia was Luna’s best friend and a mouse, so it was hard to picture the little rodent playing a musical instrument.

“Uh huh, she plays a keyboard.” Luna nodded.

“A full size one?” Victoria scoffed.

“No, it’s a special mouse sized one.” Luna explained with a giggle.

The limo came to a stop outside the impressive red brick building with other pupils going off into the very prestigious school. “Ok, baby have a good day and I’ll be here to pick you up at three o'clock.” Victoria said, kissing her daughter on the cheek.

“Bye Mommy,” Luna beamed, as she opened the door, “bye Grace.”

“See you later, Luna.” Grace responded, not looking up from her phone. Luna closed the limo door behind her and skipped into the school grounds. Victoria gave a worried look as she saw her six year old daughter disappear into the building, the Vixen knew how hard it was being a fox in a private school and how mean bullies could be, but Luna was only in first grade and seemed to get along with everyone in her class. The sad thing was was that the older kids get, the meaner they become.

“Stop that.” Grace warned.

“Stop what?” Victoria asked, still looking at the school as the unseen chauffer began to drive towards the next destination.

“Giving that worried gaze, you do it every morning when we drop Luna at school, she’ll be fine.” Grace said, finally looking up from her phone.

“I know but I ca-ARGH!” Victoria let out a yelp of pain and put a paw on her stomach.

“Vicky!” Grace reacted, rushing over to her boss.

“I’m fine.” Victoria lied, grinding her teeth with pain.

“No you’re not; c'mon we’re going to the hospital.” Grace dismissed, about to tell the chauffer to head to the nearest ER.

“I’m already dying, Grace, there’s nothing more they can do.” Victoria winced.

Grace’s shoulders slumped and she whispered “Don’t talk like that.”

“What? It’s the truth.” Victoria said bitterly. She could taste blood in her mouth, her gums were bleeding again.

“You’re my best friend; I don’t want to think about you leaving.” Grace replied, sitting beside the black furred fox, tears welling up in the Panda’s eyes.

“No crying,” Victoria berated her mockingly, “we still have a job to do.”

“…Right.” Grace muttered before going back to a serious tone “Your meeting with the board of directors is at ten am, then you have the potential buyers at eleven.”

“Good, I should be home by lunchtime.” Victoria said, sounding positive despite blood dripping from the edge of her mouth.

“What are you going to tell the board?” Grace asked, passing her boss and best friend a handkerchief.

Victoria took the hanky and wiped away the blood before answering “That I’m dying and I want to sell my shares of the company.”

“Blunt.” Grace half laughed.

“Aren’t I always?” Victoria chuckled, but it hurt to laugh. “Say, I need you do to some digging for me whilst I’m in the meeting.”

“Sure, what do you need me to find out?” Grace asked.

“I want you to look into a cop, check that he’s not dirty.” Victoria instructed.

“What’s his name?” Grace asked further, getting her phone out to make a note of the name.

“Nick Wilde.” Victoria answered.

000

Marian Wilde was elated that her boy had gotten himself a girlfriend, however she did give a look of disapproval when they told her that they wouldn’t be going public just yet, not until they figured out what to do with work and that Judy had told her parents that she was in an interspecies relationship. But despite her feelings on hiding the matter, she congratulated the new couple and agreed to keep their secret.

Judy and Nick arrived at Precinct 1 to find the main lobby busy with both ZPD officers and MCB agents rushing around. Nick had handed over the two Morrigan tablets to the crime lab and had sent word to Bogo about the new drug and that the Hood had passed on the intel through Mr. Big. The chief agreed that this was a top priority, but also that the MCB might want in on it, seeing as it was the M.M gang that found the drugs. He set up a meeting in his office for 3pm so Nick and Judy decided to plough through some paperwork they had been putting off.

Judy came out of the bathroom stall and went over to the sink designed for smaller mammals to wash her paws. She turned on the tap and began to clean her small grey paws when the door opened and in walked a very stressed looking Skye Winter talking into her phone “Yes sir…I understand that it looks bad.” She spoke, trying to remain professional, but her voice was strained “There’s no need to come to Zootopia sir….I can fix this….yes sir, see you in a couple of days.” She hung up and gave a defeated sigh and buried her face in her white fluffy paws.

“Having a rough day?” Judy asked with sympathy.

Skye looked down at Judy and replied “Sorry you had to hear that, my boss is on my tail over this M.M case.”

“It’s ok, we all have crappy days.” Judy said, trying to perk up the arctic fox.

“Yeah, well, this was supposed to be a great day. I had it all planned out, but nooooo, the Hood and Little John go on a rescue mission and throw away ten million dollars.” Skye griped, getting out her mascara from her suit pocket.

“What did you have planned?” Judy asked in a friendly manner, turning off the tap and grabbing some paper towels and drying her paws.

“It’s my boyfriend’s birthday today. We were going to take the day off and enjoy the city, but now we both have to work.” Skye moaned, looking in the mirror and applying her mascara.

“Your boyfriend’s an agent to?” Judy guessed.

“Yeah, he’s been working so hard lately and he needs a day of zero stress.” Skye answered, screwing the top back on her mascara and returning it to her pocket.

Judy unconsciously twitched her nose and caught a smell coming off Skye, one that she had smelled quite a few times and asked “Um is Jack Savage your boyfriend?”

Skye looked impressed that Judy had managed to figure it out, “How’d you know?” she asked back.

“You’ve got buck rabbit scent on you and seeing as Agent Savage is the only bunny at the MCB, it was pretty simple.” Judy said, explaining her reasoning.

“You seem pretty cool with inters. Not that many bunnies support us.” Skye commented.

“I’m not most bunnies.” Judy added “Besides, Jack isn’t the only rabbit that’s into foxes.”

Skye’s eyes grew with surprise as she garbled shyly “I’m flattered, but like I said I’m in a relationship and I’m not Bi.”

Judy looked up at Skye with bewilderment for a couple of seconds before the penny dropped, “No, no, no that’s not what I meant! My boyfriend is a fox.” she corrected quickly.

“What!?” A voice happily shrieked from the doorway. Skye and Judy looked towards the bathroom door to see Nala wearing the toothiest grin imaginable.

“Oh sweet cheese and crackers,” Judy grumbled. She had been doing such a great job at keeping her new boyfriend a secret…until now.

Nala hurried over to Judy and interrogated hastily with a smile, “Is it Nick? Do you love him? Have you two done it yet? Tell me! I need details!”

“Uhhh,” Judy said, overwhelmed slightly by the barrage of questions, “Yes it’s Nick, yes I love him and it’s none of your business if we’ve had sex yet.”

“That’s a yes, then.” Skye smiled, suppressing a laugh.

“I gotta’ tell Clawhauser.” Nala said gleefully, getting out her phone to text the cheetah.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Judy halted, snatching the phone out of the lioness’ paws.

“Hey, no fair,” Nala whined.

“Nick and I are trying to keep this low profile. If the chief finds out he’ll split us up, so please keep your mouth shut.” Judy instructed, handing the phone back to Nala.

“Fine,” Nala pouted before saying “I’m happy for the two of you, I’ve been rooting for you guys.”

“Thanks.” Judy said meekly, glad to hear these words.

000

3pm came and Judy and Nick walked into Bogo’s office to find some mammals others than the chief were waiting for them. The trio of MCB operatives Skye, Jack and Nottingham were there along with Nala, who looked confused as to why she was attending this meeting. “Hopps, Wilde.” Bogo acknowledged the two as they came in and shut the door behind them, “Let’s get down to business shall we?”

“Yes sir.” Judy agreed with her partner nodding.

“Last night, Bianca and Bernard Gabor were kidnapped at the opera house and were subsequently rescued by the M.M gang. This one action has provided us with a lot of intel.” Bogo began, putting on his reading glasses and glancing at the papers on his desk.

“Yep those scumbags ain’t so mysterious anymore.” Nottingham chuckled, the shabby looking wolf showed his yellow fangs as he laughed.

“We’ve finally confirmed what species Hood and Little John are; a red fox and a grizzly bear.” Skye revealed.

Nick’s ears perked up and his fur stood on end “Hood’s a red fox?” he asked, sounding angry.

“Nick, I took the statement myself; Bianca Garbor described the Hood as a red fox in his late forties to early fifties.” Jack replied and then sighed, knowing this info would distress his old friend.

“So it’s them? It’s the original M.M gang?” Nick asked, his green eyes narrowing, causing Judy to look at her love with concern.

“Yes, we’ve ditched the idea that these criminals are copying the originals.” Skye answered.

“But that’s impossible, the original Hood and Little John were killed in a plane crash over 25 years ago. I read the case files and the autopsy reports.” Bogo said, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Plane crash?” Judy queried.

“The Hood and Little John had hit the three biggest banks that hold mob money in Zootopia in one night, apparently they got $500 million just through cyber attacks, no physical money was taken,” Nick explained, his memory as clear as his pain, “anyway, word got out about the Hood’s identity, that he was a red fox and the mob knew where he lived. The Hood and Little John were in a car chase all the way to the airport, they managed to fight off the mob’s hitmen and they thought they had won. They got in a private jet and went to fly away, but they were shot down with a RPG. I remember seeing the explosion from my window.”

“Yeah, I remember that too.” Jack reminisced grimly.

“But the bodies were found in the wreckage?” Nala asked, puzzled.

“Yes, but we can’t dismiss the possibility that these bodies were planted and their dental records changed.” Skye answered.

“Those sneaky bastards, I knew they weren’t dead.” Nottingham threw in.

“But back to the matter at hand,” Bogo said, clearing his throat, “Mr and Mrs Gabor were kidnapped by Professor Rattigan and Madame Misdaad.”

“The same crime bosses who are flooding the streets with Morrigan?” Judy queried, “Why would they want to kidnap the founders of the Rescue Aid Society?”

“Apparently, they wanted to forcibly purchase some swamp lands just outside the city and were willing to pay millions for it.” Skye explained.

“Millions for a swamp?” Nala asked, knowing she wouldn’t get an answer.

“We have no idea why.” Nottingham admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

“However, this has given us a lead,” Jack smiled “the M.M gang is targeting the two biggest drug syndicates in the city.”

“So, we follow the drugs and we find the Hood and Little John.” Judy theorized.

“Exactly.” Jack agreed with confidence.

“So, what is this new drug anyway?” Nala asked, feeling out of the loop. “I’ll let out CSI explain that.” Bogo said.

“CSI?” Nick mumbled, looking around to see no one else in the office.

“Down here.” A voice alerted. Nick and Judy looked towards the source of the voice. On Bogo’s desk was a mouse dressed in grey jeans and a black sweater.

“Sorry, buddy, didn’t see you there.” Nick apologized.

“It’s quite alright, old boy,” the mouse accepted “Basil Dawson, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Officer Hopps and this is Officer Wilde.” Judy smiled at the well spoken mouse.

“I am quite grateful for the pills you gave me. It’s been a struggle to get a proper sample.” Basil thanked.

“So, what does this Morrigan stuff do anyway?” Nick asked.

“It’s the work of that scheming rat Rattigan; arguably his greatest work yet. It’s a fast acting steroid which also gives a sense of euphoria and numbs pain.” Basil explained.

“So, what’s the kicker?” Judy asked, knowing there was a side effect to all drugs.

“Rage most commonly, fits of tachycardia that can lead to heart attacks and it has an unidentified component in it that makes it as addictive as heroin.” Basil explained quickly, “My husband, Dr. Dawson, has had three bodies in the morgue in the last month killed by this drug.”

“So, why are we only hearing about this drug now?” Nick asked.

“I can only assume that Rattigan and Misdaad paid off the right people to keep this under the rug. It was only made illegal a few weeks ago.” Basil said, offering his opinion.

“I want this crisis nipped in the bud, that’s why I’m authorizing a sting operation at the Clashing Camel arena tonight.” Bogo announced.

“What’s the objective, Chief?” Judy asked.

“We’re going to have Wilde and Priderock undercover in the arena, looking for dealers.” Bogo explained.

“Me, sir?” Nala asked, obviously excited since this was her first undercover job.

“Yes, you and Wilde mingle among the crowds and look out for suspicious behaviour. Agent Savage will also be undercover looking for the M.M gang.” Bogo elaborated.

“What about me, sir?” Judy asked, sounding eager.

“Seeing as you will be the most senior ZPD officer on this operation, I want you in charge and coordinating the sting from the surveillance van. You’re too well known, Hopps; a drug dealer would spot you instantly.” Bogo ordered.

“I won’t let you down, sir.” Judy agreed.

“This isn’t going to work.” Nick spoke up with a shake of his head.

“Huh? Why not?” Jack asked his childhood friend.

“Who are the dealers going to sell to? The crowd, maybe, but if I was peddling a steroid, I’d be dealing to the fighters.” Nick pointed out.

“We need someone backstage.” Judy realized.

“Maybe I can help with that.” A voice interrupted. Everyone in the room turned to the door to see Clawhauser standing in the doorway holding a file. Nick noticed Bogo tense up as he came face to face with his ex.

“How?” Nala asked, looking at her fellow feline.

“I used to fight at that arena when I was a teen.” Clawhauser answered “I know that place inside and out and  I know the guys who work there. They’ll let me backstage.”

“That would be really helpful.” Jack replied, grateful for the extra pair of eyes.

“But you’re a desk officer, not a field cop,” Bogo said, sounding a little reserved.

“Well, that’s the thing,” Clawhauser said, going over and handing Bogo the file, “I don’t want to be on the front desk anymore.”

Nala, Nick and Judy all shared shocked looks, but no one looked more surprised than the chief. He opened the file to find a department reassignment form. He looked up at the cheetah with a straight face, but inside his heart was splitting in two, “Fine, you’re in.” he grunted.

Ten minutes later, everyone had left Bogo’s office to prepare for the sting tonight. Bogo was looking at Clawhauser’s form and couldn’t shake off the guilt he was feeling. He needed to talk to him, to persuade him to stay. Before he knew it, Bogo had pressed the intercom button and said “Clawhauser, come up to my office.”

Less than a minute later, Clawhauser walked into the office and closed the door behind him “You wanted to see me Chief.” He said formally.

“Sit down, Ben.” Bogo requested, motioning at one of the empty chairs with his hoof.

Clawhauser sat down and crossed his arms defensively, “Don’t try and talk me out of it.” He said, his anger clear on his face.

“Come on, this is ridiculous, I know we’re not a couple anymore, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.” Bogo spoke, trying to be calm, but his voice came off as desperate.

“Couple? We were never a couple, according to you. 'It was just about sex’ that’s what you said.” Clawhauser countered.

“I was wrong to say that, I’m sorry ok.” Bogo reacted.

“You broke my heart, Mason and now I’m taking action, I’m going back into the field.” Clawhauser defied.

“Please don’t do this; I don’t want you to leave.” Bogo said. He was getting upset.

“I’m not some toy that you can treat like garbage. I loved you and all you gave me was secrets and pain.” Clawhauser cried, letting his emotions out.

“I know, I know you hate me, but please don’t leave because of me.” Bogo pleaded. There was a lump in his throat.

Clawhauser got out of his chair and made his way towards the door whilst saying in a melancholy voice “Every time I look at you I picture the life we could’ve had together. I can’t be reminded of that day after day.”

Just as Clawhauser put his paw on the door handle he felt two powerful arms wrap around his waist and hug him, “Please…D-don’t go.” Bogo sobbed.

“Let go, Mason,” Clawhauser sniffed, he was crying as well now “I’ve got a fight to get to.”

Reluctantly, Bogo slowly released his former boyfriend and let him leave the office. After he had gone Bogo locked the door before falling to the floor in a crying mess.

 


	7. The past always comes back to bite you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick vents to Jack about the MM gang, little Luna finds out a secret and the drug sting begins

** Chapter 7- The Past always comes back to bite you. **

Nick stormed into the men's locker room, his simmering anger clear on his muzzle. He made sure no one was around before he pounded his fists into his locker out of rage, "That bastard!" Nick snarled, continuing to hit the metal again and again until a paw grabbed him by one of his wrists. Nick looked to see the owner of the paw was to find a worried looking Jack staring back at him.

"Punching that locker won't solve anything." Jack cautioned before realising his grip.

"I knew it was him, ever since the M.M gang came back, I knew it was him behind it…I just didn't want it to be true." Nick uttered, looking at his now sore knuckles.

"Does anyone know about the link between you and the Hood?" Jack asked carefully, looking around to see if anyone was eavesdropping.

"No." Nick answered, feeling guilty that he hadn't told Judy his secret.

"Listen Nick, we're both close to this case and both have conflicts of interest, but if Bogo or Skye find out you're related to the prime suspect it could mean big trouble." Jack warned.

Nick let out a breath, he knew Jack was right. He had worked so hard to get into the ZPD and he loved his job; he couldn't let his hate for his dad get in the way. "What do you think I should do?" Nick asked, sounding wounded as he sat on the bench between the lockers.

"We'll do this operation tonight, but tomorrow you tell Hopps and Bogo. You have to lay all your cards on the table." Jack advised in a friendly tone.

"Carrots…what is she going to think?" Nick asked rhetorically and with worry.

"She's your partner and your friend, she'll understand." Jack assured, placing a friendly paw on his shoulder.

"She's a little more than a friend." Nick let out a small smile.

Jack's eyes grew big as he grinned, "You sly fox you."

"I need to tell her, I mean we just started dating. I don't want to be in a relationship that starts with me keeping this massive secret from her." Nick rambled, picturing Judy in his mind.

"Honesty is the best policy, Nick." Jack agreed.

"What about my Mom? What do I tell her?" Nick asked, sounding tense again.

"That…that is a little trickier; sorry, you're on your own with that one." Jack replied, fearing the older vixen wouldn't take it so well.

Nick's ears went flat against his skull and he let out a teenaged style groan, "This morning started off so great and it's turned into this."

"It was supposed to be my day off, but shit happens." Jack shrugged, "Come on, let's get a coffee and go over the plans with the rest of the team."

Nick smiled at his old friend. It was still easy to talk to Jack, almost like they hadn't been apart for twenty years. Deep down, Nick knew Jack was still the same buck rabbit he grew up with. Nick got up off the bench and walked out of the locker room with Jack strolling beside him, "Guess who I saw last night?" Nick opened.

"Who?" Jack asked back.

"Finnick." Nick replied.

"No way," Jack let out a laugh "how is that little bastard?"

"He's doing well," Nick answered, a smile returning to his muzzle "it's seems he's working for Mr. Big."

"Big? That old shrew is still alive?" Jack chuckled, walking with Nick in the direction of the conference room where they would plan the sting.

"Oh yeah, but get this, you know my partner? She's godmother to Fru Fru's kid." Nick revealed.

"Fru Fru's a mom!? Wow, I feel old." Jack was still laughing as he said "How's Sophia?"

Nick's expression went sullen, Jack didn't know about Sophia. All five of them, Nick, Jack, Finnick, Fru-Fru and Sophia, all went to middle school together until Jack moved away. "Um, she's passed away." Nick said, feeling a twinge of sadness.

"Sophia's gone, but how?" Jack questioned, his shock clear to see.

"She overdosed when she was in college." Nick said. He remembered being at the funeral and seeing the sheer heartbreak on Fru-Fru and Big's faces.

"Oh hell," Jack grimaced, "She was a great mammal, she always helped me with my homework."

There was a few seconds silence before Nick spoke up, "All right; no more frowns. We got a job to do."

"…You're right; Sophia would kick our butts if she saw us down in the dumps." Jack concurred, sounding optimistic, seeing the conference room door.

Nick opened the door to the conference room to find something he didn't expect to see; at the head of the table were Judy, Nala, Clawhauser and Skye. The arctic fox was standing in front holding a carrot cupcake with two small numeric candles burning in the centre, 33. Skye softly sang with the others "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Jack, happy birthday to you."

Jack looked at his beautiful, white furred lover and smiled, "My beautiful," Feeling comfortable revealing his interspecies love in front of others.

"Happy birthday, Skippy" Nick chortled, nudging his friend.

"Skippy?" Skye asked, walking over with the cupcake, candles still lit.

"It was his nickname growing up." Nick revealed. "Hey, I haven't been called that name in years." Jack added

"Aww its c-… never mind." Skye stopped herself.

"You were going to say the c word." Jack sighed.

"…Maybe." Skye admitted with a shrug.

"But, you know she meant it out of love." Clawhauser cooed, admiring the couple.

"I'd give anything for my Simba to call me cute." Nala dreamed out loud.

Jack let a laugh spring from his mouth before blowing out his candles and saying "I made a wish."

"Don't say it." Judy warned "It won't come true."

"I know it will," Jack grinned before going over to the woman he loved, reaching his paw around his lover's neck and pulled her down into a short, but sweet, kiss "Skye, for the next 24 hours you can call me cute; that's my wish."

"Really?" Skye asked, with a cheesy smile.

"For one day only, beautiful." Jack confirmed.

"Oh Jack, you're too cute!" Clawhauser taunted.

"And that cottontail is so cute!" Nala added jokingly.

"And those stripes, tres cute!" Nick mocked.

"All right, all right, only Skye is allowed." Jack laughed off the jibes.

"What about other bunnies? Can't they call you cute?" Judy played.

"No way, only my Skye is allowed." Jack chuckled.

"’My’ Skye? You presume too much, Mr. Savage." Skye feigned offence.

Clawhauser read the chemistry between the arctic vixen and the buck rabbit and cleared his throat before saying, "You know, I think this room is a little crowded."

Judy couldn't contain a big smile as she played along, "Oh yeah, way too crowded."

"I think this place is going to be uninterrupted for about an hour, I guess?" Nala acted dumb, heading towards the door.

"Yeah, I heard this door can be locked from the inside." Nick teased, twitching his eyebrows.

"You guys are about as subtle as an atom bomb." Jack criticised, crossing his arms as the ZPD officers made their way out the room. "But, what about the sting plan?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. We show up and arrest the bad guys, easy." Nick eased before closing the door.  
Jack locked the door before saying, "Can you believe those guys? Nick's always be-" he shut up though as soon as he turned back round to see Skye in an unbuttoned blouse revealing herself in sexy purple underwear and a seductive twinkle in her eyes.

"And now for your present, cutie," She invited. Jack let out a knowing smile before leaping up on the table and racing over to his lover.

000

DING! The sound of the elevator resonated as the door opened to the penthouse. A weary looking Victoria emerged with Luna beside her and Olivia, Luna's best friend, standing on her classmate's shoulder. Both of the schoolgirls were wearing happy expressions as they chatted about their favourite cartoons, but Victoria looked like she was going to drop from exhaustion at any moment; the meeting with the board members and potential share buyers had went on longer than expected, causing her abdomen to sting her with pain and her gums to bleed more. She glanced down at her baby girl and her best friend. Luna was going need Olivia now, more than ever. Despite the size difference, the two girls had been inseparable since kindergarten. It was a sad thing, but both of the children were seen as outcasts; Luna because she was a Fox and Olivia because she was the only rodent in the very prestigious school. Olivia had come over to work on some homework with Luna. Even though they were both six, they were being taught in the advanced classes meant for thirteen year olds. "So girls, what's this homework you two have to work on?" Victoria asked, trying to take her mind off the pain.

"We're doing a project on public services, Miss Todd." Olivia answered, her sweet Scottish accent clear to hear.

"So, we're doing ours on the ZPD cos' Olivia's Daddies work for them." Luna added.

Victoria tensed up a little upon hearing the acronym ZPD, knowing that a certain red fox worked for them, but then remembered that Olivia's adoptive fathers, Basil and David, worked as a CSI and Mortician respectively, "Well, I'm sure her Dads can give you some good research." Victoria replied.

"We're going to do our presentation on how each mammal makes the ZPD work." Olivia elaborated, oddly excited about doing homework.

"Yeah, like that really cool police officer we saw yesterday." Luna mentioned as the trio walked into the living room.

"C-cool police officer?" Victoria stuttered, a shot of pain coursing through her gut.

"Yeah, that bunny officer, she looked so cool! And she was super nice too!" Luna beamed.

"Yes, she was nice." Victoria replied, thankful Luna didn't say anything about the Fox cop. Victoria then heard the sound of paw steps coming from the kitchen and was happy to see her giant Panda friend Grace emerge.

"I thought I heard trouble coming in." Grace chuckled.

"Trouble?" Luna huffed, pretending to be cross "I'm no trouble."

"Oh yes you are little vixen, you're trouble with a capital T." Grace joked, stepping over and playfully ruffling the fur atop Luna's head.

"Grace, quit it." Luna chuckled.

"Good evening, Miss Huang." Olivia greeted politely.

Grace feigned disappointment before saying "Now Olivia, how many times have I told you to call me Grace?"

"But my Daddies say it's rude to call a grownup by their first name." Olivia made her excuse.

But before the conversation could continue Victoria let out a wail of agony before falling to her knees and coughing up some blood, "Mommy!" Luna reacted, rushing over to her mother.

"Miss Todd!" Olivia shrieked, grabbing onto the fur of Luna's neck as not to fall off her shoulder.

"Vicky!" Grace yelled, kneeling next to the vixen and holding her.

"What's wrong?" Luna asked, sounding fearful.

"I'm fine baby; just had a rough day at the office." Victoria lied, doing a bad job at hiding her pain.

Luna knew her mother was lying. She had known for a while something was up and was about to protest when Grace said in a calming voice, "Girls, I'm just going to put Vicky to bed, she's a little tired."

Olivia was stunned and speechless, whilst Luna gave a bitter, "Ok."

"You help yourselves to snacks in the kitchen; I'm just going to make sure your Mom's alright." Grace said, as she helped the weak and hobbling Victoria down the hallway.

"Ok." Luna repeated as she her Mom and her Mom's best friend disappear down the hallway. With tears in her amber eyes, Luna made her way into the kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing a juice box.

Olivia jumped from Luna's shoulder to the fridge shelf where the specialized mouse sized products were and she selected a juice box for herself and then asked "You ok?"

"N-no," Luna choked, tears spilling from the kit's eyes.

"So you were right; your Mommy is sick." Olivia said with sorrow.

"No one will tell me what's going on." Luna wept, puncturing her juice box with a straw.

"She'll be ok." Olivia tried to cheer her friend up.

"She's been like this for ages…and she's getting worse." Luna revealed, still weeping.

Olivia leapt back onto Luna's shoulder and hugged her friend's cheek "She'll be ok." Olivia soothed.

"But what if…" Luna couldn't finish her sentence; she couldn't say her worst fear.

"Don't worry; it's probably just a tummy bug." Olivia said, trying to calm her best friend's nerves.

Luna sipped from the juice box and was quiet for a few seconds until she lied to herself and her friend "…You're right."

Olivia gave a concerned expression before deciding to take her friend's mind off the grim matter "So, should we start our homework?"

"Y-yeah," Luna struggled; the two girls drank their juice and munched some snacks, a couple of cookies for Luna while Olivia was full with just a few crumbs. The girls then went back into the living room so they could head to Luna's bedroom, but as they passed through the spacious and luxurious room, Luna spotted something on the coffee table; it was a file with the name 'Wilde' on it. "Huh." Luna sounded, going on to the coffee table.

"Is that yours?" Olivia queried.

"It must be; it's got my name on it." Luna assumed.

"Maybe it's your report card?" Olivia guessed, sounding a little mischievous.

"Let's take a peek; I want to know my music grade." Luna agreed, equally mischievous, before flipping open the file and letting out a small gasp at what she saw. At the top of the top page was a small photo of the same red fox cop she had met yesterday, except this time he was in full uniform. Then under the photo was some information; Officer Nicholas Piberius Wilde, Age 33, ZPD officer at Precinct 1 and so on and so forth. Luna picked up the single sheet of paper leaving the others in the file. Olivia saw this info too and a shocked expression grew on her face. Luna quickly folded the sheet of paper and slipped it into her blazer pocket before Olivia could protest. She closed the file and left it where it was before hastily walking towards the hallway down to her room.

"Luna?" Olivia spoke up.

"Ssshhh," Luna responded, putting a finger to her lips before opening the door to her room, entering and closing it quickly. Luna's room had lilac and flowery theme going on, with the walls, furniture and carpet all coloured lilac and dozens of large flower stickers dotted everywhere. There was a massive bookcase stuffed with books, complete with stepladder so she could reach the higher shelves. All her toys were stacked neatly in a corner and there was immaculate desk next to her bed.

"Luna, why did you take that?!" Olivia asked in a hushed panic.

"It's him!" Luna smiled, keeping her voice down as not to raise her mothers’ or Grace's suspicion.

"It's who?" Olivia asked back, despite having a rough idea of what was going on.

"It's the same fox police officer I met yesterday, the one with that nice bunny." Luna answered, letting Olivia run down her arm onto the desk, "And we have the same last name, he must be my dad."

"You really think he might be your dad?" Olivia asked, trying to be the voice of reason.

"Mommy always said she didn't want me to have the Todd name because mammals would be mean to me, that's why I'm called Wilde." Luna explained excitedly.

"That doesn't mean he's your daddy." Olivia tried to calm her friend down.

"But he might be." Luna replied, getting out the piece of paper from her blazer and unfolding it on the desk "We have the same fur colour, Mommy and all her family have black fur, and apart from the eyes we look the same."

Olivia looked at the photo of Officer Wilde then back at Luna, the adult fox smiling in the photo had the same smile Luna always made, "You do look alike." Olivia had to admit.

"And he said Mommy was an old friend of his." Luna added to her argument.

"Do you think he knows? That you're a Wilde?" Olivia asked, getting a little excited.

"I don't think so," Luna figured, "mommy always said her and my daddy split up before she knew I was in her tummy."

"So, why didn't she tell him?" Olivia wondered.

"I dunno'," Luna shrugged "grown ups are weird."

"So, what are you going to do? Ask your Mom about him?" Olivia asked.

"Every time I ask about my dad Mommy just changes the subject." Luna sighed, "I have to find him myself."

"But how are we going to do that? We're only kids." Olivia pondered.

Luna looked at the information on the paper then grinned "Don't your dads work at Precinct 1?"

Olivia's eyes lit up, sussing out what Luna's idea was. "I think we need to tour the ZPD for our homework." Olivia smiled.

"Yeah," Luna nodded before looking at the photo again, "I'm coming to find you."

000

It was just after 8pm and Judy was staring at four separate monitors in the back of the ZPD surveillance van that was disguised as a catering company van. ZPD's resident surveillance technician, Meeko, a racoon who was stuffing cookies into his gob, was in the van with Judy. "So, what are we looking for?" The racoon asked, chewing on the sweet treats and spewing crumbs everywhere.

"We're looking for any possible deals," Judy confirmed, her amethyst eyes still on the screens which were hidden cam feeds from Nick, Jack, Nala and Clawhauser. "are you guys in position?"

" _I'm by the bookies."_ Nick's voice crackled through the radio.

" _I'm in the stands."_ Nala confirmed

" _I'm backstage."_ Clawhauser said.

" _I'm at the ringside."_  Jack rounded off.

Nearly an hour passed with nothing significant happening besides the three brutal MMA fights that happened in the centre of the arena. There had just been a bout between a wolf and a cougar, resulting with the cat winning and leaving the wolf bloody and dazed and being carried off into the back, Clawhauser, disguised as a janitor, was mopping up the drops of blood left in his wake when he heard, "I'm going to destroy that punk!"

Clawhauser turned to see a young stag storming down the hallway with his coach, a beaver, by his side. "B, calm down, this is just an exhibition fight." The Beaver tried to calm the fighter down.

"When Bambi Goddamn Prince steps into the ring, ain't no one surviving." Bambi announced, his antlers looking recently sharpened.

"Umm, Hopps, are you seeing this?" Clawhauser whispered into his hidden mic.

" _Yeah, just act normal."_ Judy advised through the small earpiece.

"You've buying that juice from Flower again, ain't ya?" The Beaver coach accused.

"So what if I have? It ain't like the pills are traceable." Bambi argued.

"Did somebody say my name?" A voice coaxed as Clawhauser continued to mop. Out of an adjoining corridor came a Skunk in his mid forties dressed in a tacky grey suit and pink shirt.

"What are you doing here?" the beaver asked bitterly.

"Conducting business, what else?" Flower answered with smarm before turning to the psyched up Stag, "You got my money?"

"Right here," Bambi held up a wad of notes with his hoof.

"Good boy." Flower replied, producing a baggy of pink pills from his cheap suit.

" _Clawhauser, arrest the skunk!"_ Judy ordered.

Clawhauser quickly produced his tranq pistol from his overalls, aimed it at the skunk and shouted "ZPD! You're under arrest."

"Shit!" Flower cursed diving behind the beaver so Clawhauser couldn't fire; he swiftly produced a switchblade and held it to the beaver's throat. "Back off, fatty!" Flower warned.

" _Everyone converge on Clawhauser's position! Ben, lower your gun, we can't risk that beaver's life!"_ Judy commanded.

Clawhauser reluctantly lowered his gun and said to the drug dealer, "You've just added a few more charges to your rap sheet, give up now."

"No way am I going back to the joint!" Flower defied, "Now I'm walking out of here or this buck toothed loser is getting his jugular opened."

"Flower, let him go!" Bambi yelled, worried for his coach's safety.

At that moment the door from the ringside slammed open and Jack came bursting in with his tranq pistol already drawn, although he froze when he saw the face of the drug dealer. A face he knew all too well and he hated. "Flower!" Jack snarled with twenty odd years of hatred welling up inside of him. There was no mistaking it, this was the same low life that tormented his mother and all his neighbours "Looks as though you've moved from debt collecting to narcotics." He spat with bile burning in his stomach.

"Who the hell are you, Rabbit?" Flower panicked, gripping his hostage tighter.

"The name's Savage; Jack Savage," Jack grinned with menace as he aimed his pistol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! What did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Next time on Take A Stand Jack let's his anger get the best of him, the ZPD gains a unwanted ally and Nick tells Judy the secret of his family. Please review and c ya soon...)


	8. Names mean something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack let's his anger get the better of him, Bogo gives in to Clawhauser's wishes and Nick tells Judy a family secret

** Chapter 8- Names mean something. **

"Flower!" Jack snarled, with twenty odd years of hatred welling up inside of him. There was no mistaking it, this was the same low life that tormented his mother and all his neighbours, "Looks as though you've moved from debt collecting to narcotics." He spat with bile burning in his stomach.

"Who the hell are you, Rabbit?" Flower panicked, gripping his hostage tighter.

"The name's Savage; Jack Savage," Jack grinned with menace as he aimed his pistol.

"Who?!" Flower snapped, still holding the knife to the beaver's neck.

Jack looked irked that Flower didn't know his name or his family's name, causing him to grip his gun tighter, Clawhauswer saw Jack tense up and said professionally, "Savage, lower your gun."

"You don't know…" Jack growled quietly, seemingly ignoring Clawhauser.

"Savage," Clawhauser warned, seeing the rage in the MCB agent's eyes.

" _Jack; Stand down!"_ Judy said with authority. She had a horrible feeling where this was heading.

Jack felt Judy's words pierce his rage and he let control come over him once again. He lowered his tranq pistol only slightly and said in the calmest tone he could manage, "Release your hostage."

"Throw your guns over to me, you and the cheetah! And I let this buck tooth go!" Flower demanded. The beaver was too scared to talk, but it was easy to see the fear in his face.

"…Ok." Jack complied, tossing his gun at the skunk's feet with Clawhauser following suit.

"Good." Flower smirked, before throwing the beaver at Jack. Clawhauser went to leap for his gun, but he was too late as Flower scooped up both pistols and aimed one at the feline and the other at the bunny, "Now, I'm leaving, and if you come after me, you're getting one of these darts in your face, ya hear?!" Flower backed off slowly, both of the pistols trained on the law enforcers. He reached the fire exit and escaped through it just as Nala entered from where Jack had come through.

"Where's the perp?" she asked with a fire in her eyes.

"He got away." Clawhauser sighed as he made sure the tormented beaver was ok.

"Not for long," Jack countered, pulling out his spare pistol hidden under the ankle of his pant leg "Priderock, head for the parking lot and block the exit in case he has a car waiting!"

"On it!" Nala grinned, feeling the buzz and racing off in the opposite direction.

"Clawhauser, look after this gentlemammal." Jack delegated before rushing off in pursuit of the drug peddling skunk.

" _Jack; status report."_ Judy requested with urgency through the radio.

"Hopps, I'm in pursuit of the drug dealer. Get Nick to follow me." Jack panted, bursting through the fire exit and into an alleyway

" _But you're unarmed!"_ Judy worried.

"I always carry a spare." Jack replied smugly, springing over some crates blocking the narrow litter filled passage. The humid heat hit Jack with an uncomfortable wave as stray grains of sand flew into his eyes. He turned the corner and…

THUNK!

Jack hit the sandy ground instantly. He could see spots in his eyes, his ears were ringing and his body felt heavy as hell. As he struggled to focus on his surroundings, he managed to make out the figures of two mammals a similar size to him.

“Grab his gun!" Flower shouted. Even if Jack couldn't see clearly, he knew the skunk's voice.

A figure reeking of engine oil and cheap vodka crouched down beside Jack and took the spare traq gun, "You said this guy knew you?" the other mammal asked, his voice gruff and raspy like a smoker.

Jack recognised that voice too. He forced himself to turn his increasingly throbbing head to see an overweight grey and white rabbit in his fifties wearing a leather jacket with a cigarette in his mouth and a wooden baseball bat in paw, "Thumper." Jack said quietly, yet angrily.

"Dude, he knows you too." Flower said, stating the obvious.

"Let's see who this punk is." Thumper huffed, reaching inside Jack's blazer and pulling out his wallet. The biker opened it and let out an "Aw shit." when he saw the MCB identification card.

"Damn it, MCB! We gotta' tell the boss." Flower fidgeted.

"Savage…." Thumper rolled off his tongue, trying to remember where he knew the name from, then it hit him and he let out a gut laugh "Ha! This is Hannah Savage's brat."

"Who the hell is Hannah Savage?" Flower asked, frustrated.

"Remember that fine piece of ass with the glasses who worked at the Pritchard grocery store in Sherwood?" Thumper reminded.

"Don't talk tha—t way about…." was all Jack could slur.

Flower absorbed the information and grew more jittery, "Dude, we have to take care of him, he knows us." he babbled. Jack tried to move, but he was barely conscious.

"Way ahead of you," Thumper laughed, rising to his feet and twirling the bat in his paws before raising it above his head, "Nighty night kid."

Jack felt a bolt of terror shock through his body, not for the pain he was about to receive and not for the fact his life was about to cease, but for the fact he would never see Skye again "Skye, I love you." he whispered as he closed his eyes and envisioned her alluring face.

"Arrgh!" was the next thing Jack heard; it was a bellow of pain from Thumper.

"Son of a Bi-AHHHH!" Flower wailed before falling silent. Although Jack felt too weak to open his eyes, he knew something had happened, but his head was just too hazy.

"Jack!" A worried voice shouted, but it wasn't local, it was an English accent "Jack, are you alright?!"

Jack felt a paw on his shoulder shaking him. The rabbit mustered enough strength to open his eyes and looked upon his saviour; it was a middle aged red fox with concerned hazel eyes looking down at him. Jack knew that face and he let out a "…Robin."

"Nice to see you remember me, Skippy." Robin replied with a relieved tone. Jack could just make out both Thumper and Flower on either side of him, knocked out with sleeper arrows.

"Robin? Nick…" Jack strained against the pain from his skull.

"Don't force yourself. That was a nasty blow to your noggin." Robin eased, bow still in his hands.

" _Rob!"_  A stressed voiced crackled over the radio.

Robin reached for his radio and answered, "Don't worry, Johnny, he's safe. Get the van ready."

"FREEZE!" an angry voice interrupted. Robin's vision shot to the fire exit to see three mammals; a cheetah, a rabbit in full ZPD uniform and a red fox dressed in a green Hawaiian shirt and tacky purple tie.

The Rabbit and Fox were aiming tranq pistols at the infamous thief, so the old fox replied with an air of smugness, "I just saved your friend and this is the thanks I get?"

"Put your bow down." Judy replied, her aim steady on the hooded thief.

"Nah," Robin shrugged.

"Listen to her, Loxley! She's being more kind than I'd ever be." Nick snarled, his hand shaking slightly.

"Ten points to you, sir, for knowing my name." Robin laughed, not realising who Nick was.

"Are you going to come quietly?" Judy asked with a little more force.

"Now, where would the fun be in that?" Robin grinned before dropping a smoke bomb, masking both him and Jack in a cloud of thick white smoke.

"No!" Nick barked, running over only to find a semi-conscious Jack, "Jack, you ok?"

"It was him." Jack gave a weak smile to his old friend, "The hero of Sherwood."

"Clawhauser, call an ambulance for Agent Savage." Judy ordered loudly, struggling to see anything in the smoke cloud.

"Jack, just relax, ok." Nick assured his friend, still obviously pissed off that Robin Hood had slipped through the net once again "We need to have the paramedics look at you."

"He saved me." Jack added with a weak voice.

Nick held his tongue and tried his best to show he wasn't furious, but both Judy and Jack could tell he was enraged, his ginger fur stood on end and his brush was all fluffed up. Nick Wilde had just seen his father for the first time in over 25 years and right now his rage was like a dormant volcano waiting to erupt. And the worst thing was, was that his father didn't even recognise him.

000

"Good work, all of you." Bogo said in his typical nonchalant manner, "You got two dealers and the drugs; hopefully they'll lead us to their boss."

Nick, Judy, Clawhauser and Nala were all standing in the chief's office wearing satisfied smiles except Nick, who still looked pissed off. Jack was at the local ER getting checked over as a precaution. Judy had contacted Skye to tell her what had happened and after a fretting exchange she had raced to the hospital to join her long term boyfriend. Once Flower and Thumper had woken up, Judy and Clawhauser read them their rights and put them in the back of the squad car. Both criminals were now stewing in the holding cells of Precinct 1. "And because I'm feeling generous, you get tomorrow off." Bogo added.

"Thank you sir," Nala beamed while Judy and Clawhauser's smiles grew bigger.

"Actually, Priderock, since you're here I need to share some news with you." Bogo said, crossing his arms.

"Sir?" Nala wondered.

"Francine contacted me today, even though she's on her honeymoon." Bogo began, smiling slightly "She's informed me that she is going to have a calf."

"Francine's pregnant?!" Nala squealed with delight.

"O M goodness," Clawhauser gushed.

"Aww, she's going to be a great Mom." Judy cooed.

"But since she is pregnant, she can't be on the beat, so she's been reassigned to desk duty until her maternity leave starts." Bogo explained.

"So, I'm going solo?" Nala asked, sounding a little disappointed.

"Not exactly, you’ll have a new partner." Bogo answered.

"Who?" Nala followed up.

"He's standing right next to you." Bogo said, nodding at Clawhauser.

"Me?" Clawhauser asked with disbelief, pointing at himself.

"You two are already good friends, and since you wanted to go back into the field, this seems like the most logical choice." Bogo reasoned.

Clawhauser smiled softly at his ex; he expected Mason to fight him on this, but the buffalo had accepted it, even if it was begrudgingly. "Thank you, Chief." Clawhauser said genuinely.

"Any leads on the Hood?" Nick spoke up.

"Traffic cams were all scrambled, as per usual, and it seems as though Thumper's car was broken into and something was stolen. But we have nothing to lead us to the M.M gang." Bogo griped.

"So, we were right about the drugs leading us to the M.M gang." Judy summarized.

"Yes, but now they're going to be extra careful; they'll be looking for the law whilst robbing the mob." Nick replied.

"It's not our problem. Let the MCB worry about the M.M gang. We need to concern ourselves with getting Morrigan off the streets." Bogo responded, "Ok, all of you, go home and enjoy your day off tomorrow."

As his four officers left the office, Bogo let out a defeated sigh. He didn't want to let Clawhauser go, but it was unfair to make him stay. The only thing he could do now was to partner Ben up with a friend. And even though it was nice to see the cheetah happy, Bogo's heart still ached.

000

Nick and Judy decided to stay together at his place tonight. Even though Nick felt crummy, he wanted Judy close by to hug, and maybe more. They entered his apartment and Nick tossed his keys into the little bowl by the door. Judy noticed Nick was feeling blue. She had noticed this ever since the meeting with Skye and Bogo regarding the M.M gang in the afternoon. "Hey Nick, are you feeling ok?" she asked with a gentle voice as she shut the front door behind her.

Nick, who had his back to his girlfriend, didn't answer the question. Instead he asked one back, "Fluff, can you do me a favour?"

"Sure." Judy replied, just wanting to cheer up her dumb fox.

"For the next hour, I want to forget everything; I want to forget about the Morrigan case, about the M.M gang and everything else. The only thing I want right now is you." Nick turned around to look at his attentive girlfriend who was looking up at him with those loving amethyst eyes "Can you help me forget everything else?"

Judy was quiet for a moment, processing the hurt expression on Nick's face and the troubled words that came from his lips. Nick needed this and there was no way she was going to let him wallow in this sadness. Judy smiled as she unclipped her black bulletproof vest and let it fall to the wooden floor. Nick went to take a step forward, but was stopped by a "Nuh-uh." from Judy, who was wagging her finger "You stay right there and strip."

"Why?" Nick scoffed and laughed simultaneously.

"You'll see." Judy tempted, slipping off her shirt. Nick didn't protest and loosened his tie. Soon the pair of them were naked and staring at each other. Judy walked a few steps towards her vulpine lover and beckoned with her paw for him to crouch down to her so that they were eye level. He complied and Judy laid a soft, teasing kiss on his lips before pulling back and saying in her most bewitching voice, "You are going to hunt me."

"What?" Nick reacted, confused, yet stirred.

Judy took a step back and said sensually, "I'm a meek little bunny that's wandered into the wrong part of the forest and there's a handsome fox stalking me who likes the taste of rabbit."

Nick grinned at the sexy bunny, "This is a fantasy of yours isn't it, Carrots?"

"Who's Carrots?" Judy pretended provocatively, "I'm just a dumb bunny and you're a sly fox."

Nick bared his fangs before growling playfully, "I'll give you a ten second head start."

Judy let out an excited giggle before racing off down the corridor.

SOME TIME LATER…

It was more than an hour later and Judy had helped Nick shed the worries of the day. Both of them had escaped into a realm of passion and lust that neither wanted to leave too soon. However, as these delights continued, tiredness washed over them and sent them to sleep in each other's arms.

Judy woke up though when nature called. Her eyes settled on the alarm clock by Nick's bed and it read 4.19 am. She went to get out of bed and soon realised Nick wasn't there beside her. She did, however, notice the dim light coming from the hallway. Judy went into the en suite bathroom and used the facilities before going back to Nick's room and putting on his ZPD training t shirt, then headed out into the corridor towards the open plan living room / kitchen to find Nick sitting at the breakfast bar with a mug of blueberry tea and dozens of photos spread out on the surface with an old shoebox on the side containing more photographs. "Nick?" Judy asked with a big yawn "What are you doing up?"

Nick glanced at the adorable, sleepy expression on his girlfriend's face and answered honestly, "Trying to work up my courage."

"What do you need courage for?" Judy asked, hopping up on the stool beside him.

Instead of giving a straight answer, Nick handed Judy a photo, "Take a look."

Judy looked at the photo and her sleepy face gave a huge smile; it was a picture of Nick and Jack outside of an elementary school. Both of the boys looked about five years old and pulling silly faces, "Oh my gosh, you two are so cute." Judy chuckled.

"I thought that word was forbidden?" Nick kidded.

"Bunnies can say it." Judy corrected.

Nick then handed Judy another photo, but this one he was more nervous about how she would react to; it was a birthday scene of a young and beautiful Marian Wilde blowing out the candles on a cake that had the number '21' written in icing. Standing beside her was a fox, barely out of his teens. The resemblance to Nick was striking, the same coloured fur, the same smile and the same handsome face, the only difference being the eyes. These eyes were hazel. In the Fox's arms was the five year old Nick captured mid laugh and wearing a party hat on his head. "Is that your Dad?" Judy asked, knowing this was hard for Nick to talk about, but she felt kind of honoured that he was sharing this.

"That's him, that's my Dad." Nick confirmed, "You think we look alike?"

"I didn't want to say anything, but yeah, you really do." Judy answered cautiously.

"At least that's one thing I can be thankful to my old man for; the bastard gave me his good looks." Nick joked, but the joke hurt him.

"What happened to him?" Judy asked, setting down the photo and taking hold of Nick's paw.

"…He was a liar and a thief and he died like one." Nick vented, taking strength and comfort from Judy's touch.

"He's dead?" Judy asked with sympathy, but still wondering why Nick was so bitter.

Nick was unable to answer. Instead, he let go of Judy's paw and reached for the shoebox full of memories. He reached to the bottom of the box and pulled out a sheet of paper that was protected by a plastic pocket, and then handed it to Judy. It was Nick's birth certificate, but Judy's face screwed up in confusion when she saw the name 'Nicholas Piberius Loxley'. "Wait a sec, your name is Wilde." Judy said, perplexed by the new info.

"It is now; I took my Mom's maiden name when I was eight." Nick responded, dreading the moment when Judy would figure it out.

"Loxley…you said that name at the arena, you said it to…." Judy mumbled, looking back towards the photo.

"He's my Dad, Carrots; Robin Loxley is my father." Nick spoke, not daring to look Judy in the eye.

"The Hood is your Dad." Judy said with disbelief.

"I wanted to tell you sooner, b-but I couldn't." Nick stammered, feeling shame.

"Nick." Judy empathised, gripping his paws once more for assurance.

"Please don't hate me." Nick begged, his voice broken and tears streaming from his emerald eyes.

"Hate you?" Judy questioned, still trying to absorb all this new info and figure out why Nick would say such a thing.

"All I've wanted for the last year was to be a mammal worthy of being with you," Nick cried, still avoiding Judy's gaze "I wanted to be the best I could be because of you. I love you Judy…please don't hate me."

"Why would I hate you?" Judy asked, baffled and upset to see Nick in tears.

"Because I kept this from you, because I'm the son of a thief, bec-" but before Nick could add another nonsensical reason, he was given a punch in the arm from Judy. "Ow!" he whined "What was that for?!"

"For being a dumb fox," Judy replied, tears forming in her big, beautiful eyes.

"I…" Nick was speechless. Judy didn't seem disgusted or angry; he just saw the same beautiful doe bunny that he fell in love with.

Judy placed both of her small grey paws on Nick's face and said with passion, "Listen Nick; you are not your dad. You are Nick Wilde, the charming, smart and sexy mammal I love and don't you ever doubt that or I'll have to kick your butt."

"Yes ma'am." Nick replied, still crying, but they were tears of joy now. He leaned in and kissed Judy whilst wrapping his arms around her, lifting her up and carrying her over to the sofa where they crashed, still lip locked.

After the kiss ended, Judy rested her head beside Nick's face and gently licked his cheek, causing Nick to softly laugh, "What are you doing?"

"Sorry," Judy replied, embarrassed "it just a way bunnies show affection."

"Then don't stop." Nick said happily, holding onto his girlfriend tighter.

Judy let out a bunny squeak of happiness before continuing to softly lick her lover's cheek. After about three minutes of this quiet and loving intimacy, Judy assured "I wouldn't hate you because of who your dad is."

"I was just scared." Nick confessed.

"Don't be, I never want you to be scared of me." Judy said with a voice Nick completely trusted.

"You know this means I have to quit the M.M gang case?" Nick asked, sounding disappointed.

"I know, I'm sorry Nick," Judy sympathised.

"I'm going to tell Bogo tomorrow." Nick stated.

"What are you going to tell your Mom?" Judy asked the burning question.

"…I don't know." Nick replied honestly "This whole situation is so messed up."

"I'm here." Judy said reassuringly, continuing to lick Nick's cheek.

"Just don't go away." Nick said on impulse, not even realising he said it.

"Never," Judy promised before guiding Nick in for another snog.

000

Jack Savage strolled into Precinct 1 just after 10am with a paper cup of coffee in his paw. He scanned the lobby making sure Skye wasn't around. The Arctic Fox had ordered him to take the day off after spending most of the night in the ER getting checked over by the doctors, but he had to come in today. Thumper and Flower were going to be interrogated and he wanted to see them squirm, he wanted to see them panic and eventually snitch on their boss. He made his way over to the interview rooms knowing that the DA's office would have been called this morning, so 10am was a safe time to assume when the interrogations would start. Jack made it just outside the rooms when he spotted Agent Nottingham speaking to a ZPD detective, a white horse with a blonde mane wearing a dark purple t shirt and his badge dangling from a chain around his neck.

"Have you interviewed those scumbags yet?" Jack asked.

Nottingham turned around and asked back with his usual drawl, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"To see some entertainment," Jack breezed.

"If the boss spots you here, she's gonna' be pissed, especially after last night." Nottingham advised.

"She's busy with paperwork this morning." Jack shrugged off, "So, have those assholes said anything yet?"

"Not yet, we're waiting for the DA's office to send someone over." The Horse detective replied.

"I don't think we've met," Jack greeted politely "I'm Jack Savage."

"Maximus Corona, Organised Crime Unit." the Horse responded.

Just then, the door opened and a very smartly dressed wolverine came waltzing in carrying a briefcase. It was Raymond Bastille, "Good morning." he greeted.

"Mr. Bastille, I didn't think you'd be coming down personally." Maximus greeted back, "I thought you'd be on the campaign trail."

"I'm still Zootopia's DA, and I wasn't going to miss interviewing these two." Bastille smiled.

"What makes these two so important?" Nottingham asked, wondering what made these two drug pushers so important.

"These two work for Madame Misdaad. It's rare we ever arrest anyone linked to her, since she owns most of the dirty cops in the city." Bastille revealed, the satisfaction clear on his face.

"But Misdaad kidnapped the Gabors the other night; surely you can arrest her for that." Jack said, feeling slightly uncomfortable being around the anti-inter mayoral candidate.

"I tried, but her lawyers provided twenty testimonies from folks saying that both Misdaad and Rattigan were at a party in the Rainforest District." Bastille griped.

"How much do you think that cost them?" Nottingham chuckled rhetorically.

"Well, hopefully I can get these two to flip on Madame Misdaad with this." Bastille grinned, holding up a manila file.

"What have you got on them?" Maximus asked, intrigued.

"DNA samples were taken from these guys last night and when they were processed they both came back with a hit to the same crime." Bastille informed, his satisfaction clear to see.

"Which crime was this?" Nottingham pried.

"Twenty years ago, there was an arson attack in the Sherwood area of Savannah Central. DNA was found at the ignition site, but we could never place the suspects until now." Bastille explained.

Jack tensed up as he heard these words; his mouth went dry and felt the air escape from his lungs. He cautiously asked Bastille, "Can I take a look at that?"

"Sure." Bastille complied, handing over the file.

Jack opened it up, stared at the front page of the document before letting it fall from his shaking hands and running out the door, "Savage?" Maximus yelled after him.

"What was that about?" Bastille questioned, confused by the outburst.

Nottingham picked the file up off of the ground and read the name of a mammal that had perished in the fire, 'Hannah Savage' "Shit." Nottingham cursed before getting his smartphone out and dialling a number, "District Director Winter we’ve got a problem."

000

Nick walked out of Bogo's office with the Buffalo following behind; Nick had told him about Robin Loxley being his father and, as expected, Nick was taken off the M.M gang case. "I'm glad you came to me with this, Wilde." Bogo said "If you had kept it secret, it would be bad for your career."

"Yeah, well, the guy ruined my childhood. I ain't going to let him ruin my adult years." Nick tried to brush off.

"How did Hopps take it?" Bogo asked, assuming that Nick had told his partner.

"She accepted it." Nick replied with a small smile. "Here, Chief, can we keep this quiet? I don't want mammals around here thinking any different about me."

"I'll keep this confidential, if you wish to tell anyone that's your choice." Bogo answered, before spotting Jack Savage run through the lobby, "Is that Agent Savage?"

Nick looked down into the lobby from the balcony and knew something wasn't right; Jack was in tears and sprinting as fast as he could. "JACK!" Nick shouted after his childhood friend, but the words failed to reach the distressed buck rabbit.

Jack raced out of the precinct building only hearing one thing, " _Don't cry, Skippy'_ Jack could hear his mothers’ words echoing in his ears. He tried to block it out, but he could still hear her, and every time he heard it, he felt the burns and scars on his back blazing with pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! Thumper and Flower are responsible for Jack's tragic past?! What did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Next time on Take a Stand; we learn how Jack got his scars, Judy's day off doesn't go as planned and Luna shows up at precinct 1. Please review and c ya soon...)


	9. Remembrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see the events that shaped Jack's tragic life, Judy's shopping trip with Nala doesn't go as planned and little Luna shows up at precinct 1

** Chapter 9- Remembrance. **

"Mom, can I have ice cream?" The seven year old little lioness whined up at her mother. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a cartoon alien on it.

"Kiara, you just had a candy bar." Nala dismissed. She was in skinny jeans and blue tank top combo, walking through the bustling mall on the border of Savannah Central and Sahara Square holding her daughter's paw.

"You can have some carrot sticks, if you want." Judy offered. She was walking beside Nala, making sure the youngest member of the Priderock family, the rambunctious three year old Kion, didn't run off.

"It's not the same." Kiara pouted.

"Don't pull that face, young lady." Nala advised, looking down at Judy holding onto Kion's paw and giving an impressed look

"I'm surprised you can keep a hold of him. You’ve really got a way with kids."

"It comes from having so many siblings. I'm from an older litter, so babysitting was usually my job." Judy explained, before turning to look at the little cub, "Anyway, you're a good boy, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Kion replied, focusing more on the toys in the shop windows. The young Lion had a tuft of red mane on top of his head, which Judy couldn't help but find adorable.

"Mom said you and her caught some bad guys last night." Kiara spoke up with admiration.

"We sure did. Your Mom, Nick, Jack, Benjamin and I sent the baddies to jail." Judy smiled back, noticing a prideful look on Nala's face.

"What mammals are your friends?" Kiara asked, honestly interested.

Judy felt a little strange, being the same height as a seven year old, but answered, "Well, Nick's a fox, Jack's a rabbit, like me, and Benjamin's a cheetah."

"Cheetah's are fast." Kion said out of nowhere.

"Not this one." Nala giggled, "The only time I see Clawhauser run is when he heads to the bakery to pick up donuts."

"So, is Jack your boyfriend?" Kiara asked cheekily.

"Kiara, that's rude." Nala chastised.

"No it's ok. Jack isn't my boyfriend. Nick is." Judy corrected.

Kiara gave a looked of confused innocence and asked "Your boyfriend is a fox?"

Nala and Judy looked at one another with quiet panic, "Ummmmmm." Was the only sound Judy could make.

"Well, you see Kiara, some mammals fall in love with other mammals who aren't their species and they're called inters," Nala explained carefully, "this isn't wrong in anyway, but some mammals are mean and bully inters."

"But, why?" Kiara quizzed.

"Because some mammals can't understand it, but there's only one thing you have to understand; they're in love and that's beautiful." Nala taught.

"Aww, Nala," Judy said, her heart aflutter with happiness "You really mean that?"

"Of course, you and Nick are meant to be." Nala expressed.

"Balloons!" Kion suddenly shouted with excitement, running off and dragging Judy along.

"Whoa, Kion," Judy smiled. The little lion cub reminded her of her energetic brothers and sisters.

"Kion, don't run off," Nala fretted, her and Kiara giving chase towards a crowd with blue and green balloons floating above them.

"What the...?" Kiara queried, looking at the crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemammals, thank you so much for turning out today." A friendly voice spoke out to the crowd over two loudspeakers beside a small stage. Judy recognised the speaker as Trevor Moon, one of the mayoral candidates. The mid sixties wolf was sharing the stage with some rodents who were on an elevated platform so they were eye level with the canine, "And thank you to our guests from Little Rodentia for sharing their concerns with us. I hope to see you all out on polling day, and remember; Take A Stand."

Which caused a round of applause from the crowd who started chanting "Moon for Mayor, Moon for Mayor, Moon for Mayor!"

"Moon for Mayor!" Nala happily joined in.

Moon got down from the stage and started shaking the hands of potential voters along with handing out T-Shirts and balloons that his assistants were holding ready. However, he soon spotted Judy and Nala and made his way over, "Officers Priderock and Hopps, so nice of you to turn out."

Nala and Judy both looked pleasantly surprised that Moon knew them, so Judy asked the obvious question "How do you know our names?"

"Well, a good councilman knows the name of every cop that's on the beat in their borough." Moon answered casually. "Sherwood is a safer place with officers like you on patrol."

"Thank you, Mr. Moon, me and my husband are big fans of yours," Nala replied, a little embarrassed.

"Please, call me Trevor." Moon responded with a friendly smile," I hope I can rely on your votes come election day."

"Of course," Nala answered.

"My boyfriend and I are both voting for you as well." Judy assured.

"Well, in that case," Moon smiled, turning to his assistants and grabbing a balloon each for Kiara and Kion before handing them to the two little cubs, "here's a little something to say thank you."

"Thanks." Kiara said gratefully.

"Balloon!" Kion yipped. No matter what, balloons always make three year olds happy.

"And for the grownups, here you go Officer Priderock." Moon said, passing Nala two T Shirts.

"Thank you." Nala responded.

"Oh, Officer Hopps, what size is your boyfriend? So I can give him a T-Shirt too." Moon asked.

"Um, do you have any fox size shirts?" Judy asked, feeling comfortable revealing that she was an inter to the liberal politician.

"Of course," Moon replied with a knowing grin, and handed the shirts over, "and tell your boyfriend thank you for his support."

"I will." Judy said, as the hopefully future mayor continued to walk among the crowd and shake paws.

Judy, Nala and the cubs walked away from the crowd; all satisfied with the free swag they just got, "He was so nice, Simba's going to be so jealous." Nala commented.

Judy nodded in agreement as she took a closer look at the T Shirts Moon had gifted to her; they were both white and had different campaign slogans on them. The rabbit sized shirt had 'Take a Stand' printed on it in black letters, whilst the vulpine sized one had 'Moon for Mayor' printed on it with the same colour and font. She giggled at the thought of wearing these in public together looking like a very dorky couple. Suddenly, the buzzing of her smartphone brought her out of her daydream. She retrieved it from her pocket and quickly answered it, "Hello…Uh-huh….WHAT?!...I'll be right there."

"Judy, what's wrong?" Nala asked, startled by the outburst.

"I've got to go; there's been an accident at my apartment building!" Judy crowed hastily, before galloping towards the nearest mall exit.

000

Jack Savage had been running for thirty straight minutes, his vison blurred by tears, his heart weighted by emotion and thoughts consumed by tragic memories. When he finally got to his destination, he came to a slow stop, his legs now aching. Jack looked up at the sign spelled out with iron rods 'Sherwood Cemetery'. He entered into the surprisingly well maintained grounds, passing by the odd mammal that had come to visit a loved one. He walked towards the Savage family plot, a patch of earth he had not visited in nearly twenty years, and as soon as he saw the familiar gravestones, he could feel his long dormant grief coming to the surface once more. He fell to his knees and stared at one certain grave that had the words 'Hannah Ethel Savage died age 34' etched into the grey stone.

_TWENTY YEARS AGO…_

"Not a bad day's work boys." Finnick bragged, stuffing his cut of the hustle takings into his pocket.

"And the career councillor at school said I didn't have a future as an entrepreneur." Jack joked, counting his cash.

"Entrepreneur sounds better than hustler." Nick ventured, eating the last of the pawpsicles from today's hustle.

It was the third month of the three thirteen year olds' pawpsicle hustle and all three of them were loving the extra cash in their back pocket; Finnick was saving up for a van, Nick was spending his money wooing his badger girlfriend and Jack was putting the majority of his share of the cash into his mom's purse. The three junior hustlers were walking down the street through the Sherwood District and just chatting.

"So, how's it going with your girlfriend? You got further than first base yet?" Jack asked, hungry for info.

"A gentlemammal never kisses and tell." Nick avoided with his patented charm.

"You ain't no gentlemammal." Finnick criticised with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah at least I got girlfriend, unlike you two." Nick proclaimed, tossing the pawpsicle stick into a nearby trash bin.

"Well, at least I don't spend all my money on dirty magazines like a certain rabbit I know." Finnick tattled with a smirk.

"W-what?" Jack stammered, trying to play innocent and failing miserably.

"Dirty mags?" Nick taunted "Oh Skippy, what would your mother say?"

"Fin, how the hell do you know about my magazines?" Jack asked with a nervous temperament, dropping the not guilty act.

"I found them last Sunday when we were watching the game in your bedroom. Very smart of you to hide it under the floorboards next to your bed." Finnick revealed with a devilish glint in his eye.

"So, what kind of mags were they?" Nick quizzed, loving the jittery look on Jack's face.

"No!" Jack protested, fearing his little secret would be out in the open.

"I believe one of the magazines was titled 'Hot Vixen MILFS'." Finnick sniggered.

"I hate you." Jack hissed, feeling an equal measure of anger and embarrassment.

"Hot Vixens?" Nick repeated, "And you teased me for liking badgers and bunny girls?"

Jack was about to argue his case when three fire engines raced by with the sirens blaring and lights flashing, "What the...?" Jack muttered, gazing as the engines zipped by.

"Looks serious." Finnick commented, the comedy from seconds earlier evaporated.

"Oh no," Nick gave a quiet gasp as he looked off into the distance. About half a mile away, black smoke was rising, right where Jack's apartment building lay.

Jack turned to where Nick was staring and felt his guts drop with dread. He instantly shot off down the street as fast as his feet could carry him with his friends shouting after him, "Skippy, wait!" but he blocked them out, all he could think about was getting home. ‘ _They're fine; I'm going to find them standing outside the apartment building’_ Jack told himself mentally as he sprinted towards his home. It didn't take long for Jack to reach his apartment building, but when he finally did arrive it was a grim event awaiting him. He scanned the crowd huddled outside of the complex and didn't see a single rabbit standing among them, causing the young buck's heart to slump instantaneously. He looked up at the burning building and saw multiple floors ablaze, but still headed for the entrance where he was stopped by two brave fire fighters, one a giraffe and the other a cougar

"Whoa son, you can't go in there." The giraffe forbade, putting his hoof upon Jack's shoulder.

"But, my family's in there!" Jack pleaded, trying to free himself of the grip of the fire fighter.

"Leave to the professionals, just stay back with the rest of the crowd." the Cougar advised.

"Ah, screw you." Jack cursed, shaking free of the giraffe fire fighter and running around to the corner of the building. Jack would often sneak out of his apartment for some nightly hijinks with his friends, so knew the best ways to get out of his family's sixth floor apartment and, more importantly, get back in. He went to a disused vent at the side of the building and popped off the vent over, he clambered in and started to ascend the rope ladder he had installed for easy access, all the while he repeated to himself, "They're ok, they're ok, they're ok." As he climbed higher, he could already smell the smoke and start to feel the heat from the fire. He pulled back the vent cover that was in his family's bathroom and was met with a blanket of smoke that made him cough, "Mom!" Jack shouted before coughing again. He opened the bathroom door and his face morphed into a terrified look. Everything was on fire, all the furniture and parts of the floor, flames licked and danced across the walls with a cloud of smoke covering everything. "Mom! Jo! Bella! Anyone!?" Jack roared at the top of his voice.

"Help!" A voice could be heard over the cracks of burning woods and sirens from outside.

Jack followed the voice, his lungs fighting against the smoke being inhaled and the bottoms of his feet burning. He got to his mother's bedroom and found the door open, but two huge burning wooden beams blocked the way. Through the gaps between the beams he could just make out his mother through the haze of smoke, she was cradling a few of her kits. "Mom!" Jack alerted.

"Skippy?" Hannah reacted weakly, before choking once more. The kits in her arms weren't moving.

"Where are the others?" Jack asked in frenzy, trying to figure out how to move the beams and get his family out of there.

"T-there all -COUGH- here." Hannah struggled, looking at the three lifeless bunnies in her arms.

Jack looked beside his mom, the rest of his siblings were huddled around the eldest sister Jo, all of their eyes closed and they weren't moving either, "No." He cried, his hands trembling.

"Skippy, get out of here, r-run," Hannah ordered, looking her son in the eye.

"I'm not leaving you here!" Jack bawled, tears soaking the fur of cheeks.

"Go…" she spluttered.

"Mom…" Jack wept, frozen in place by fear and misery.

"Don't cry, Skippy." Hannah gave a pained smile with the last of her strength.

CRACK! The remaining ceiling beams gave way and crashed into Hannah's bedroom and the hallway Jack was standing in. The burning wood smashed onto Jack's back pinning him to the floor and trapping him with searing pain. "ARRRGH!" he wailed in agony. His back was burning and bleeding, all he could breathe was smoke, and Jack was certain he would be joining his family soon in the afterlife. He was scared, in pain and sadness consumed him. He closed his tear filled eyes and waited for the end to come.

"Skippy!" A voice hollered before the two fiery beams were lifted off of his scorched back, the fabric of his clothing had been singed away and replaced with bleeding cuts and blazing burns. Jack opened his eyes to see Marian Wilde above him, "Hold on, I'm getting you out of here." she promised before scooping up the broken bunny.

_NOW…._

Jack had grown up knowing that it was an arson attack that had killed his family, but the murderer was always faceless. Well, now he had two faces to put to the crime; Flower and Thumper. He needed to know why they did it, for what end and did they know that his family was in the building. He looked at the gravestones of the Savage family. His father Frank had died in an accident at the car plant where he worked when Jack was six and, honestly, he could barely remember him. He then looked at Hannah's grave and then his eleven siblings. Jack was the last Savage left and this made him wonder why he had survived and now he knew; to bring justice for his family. He shuffled over to his mother's gravestone and rested his head upon it before whispering, "I'm sorry."

"Skippy?" A soothing voice greeted.

Jack turned to see a familiar face looking at him with sympathetic blue eyes. It was his rescuer, and she looked like she hadn't aged a day, "Marian?" Jack wondered, tears still in his eyes.

Marian was dressed in her usual leather jacket, but had a cream coloured sweater underneath. In her arms were thirteen small bundles of flowers. She carefully placed them on the ground before walking over to the upset Jack, "It is you." she said, with a hint of sorrow in her voice.

Jack didn't say a word with his bottom lip quivering and eyes still streaming, he rushed to Marian and wrapped her in a hug, which she gladly reciprocated. He was sobbing loudly and taking comfort from his godmother. "Oh Jack." Marian eased, letting him get all his emotions out.

Eventually he pulled back and offered a small, "Sorry." before wiping away some of his tears.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Marian reassured. She then let a smile creep onto her muzzle, "Look at you, all grown up and dashing."

"You look good too, you've barely aged." Jack gave a thankful smile, his eyes still red and puffy from crying.

"Why, thank you, dear." Marian acknowledged, savouring the flattery, "Nick said you were back in the city. You've been gone too long."

"I couldn't, it was too hard." Jack admitted, glancing back at the graves behind him.

"I tried to write to you, but your Uncle returned every letter." Marian revealed.

"Sorry, he wasn't that fond of Foxes, no matter how many times I said you and Nick were like family." Jack elaborated.

"I still can't believe little Skippy Savage is a successful federal agent." Marian admired, pride welling up inside.

"Its Jack now, Agent Skippy doesn't sound that imposing." Jack corrected.

"Not to me, you're always going to be my sweet little godson, Skippy." Marian defied with a grin.

"So, what brings you here?" Jack asked.

"To visit your parents and your brothers and sisters," Marian told him, picking up the flowers, "I visit them every month."

"And I've never visited them." Jack kicked himself, feeling ashamed.

"Stop that." Marian cautioned "They understand, so don't beat yourself up about it."

"Jack!" A voice blurted out. Marian and Jack turned to see Nick and Skye quickly making their way over to him.

"Who's the beauty?" Marian asked teasingly.

"My girlfriend, Skye," Jack told with ease.

Nick and Skye finally made it to where Jack and Marian were standing, "Jack, are you ok?" Skye panted, her voice heavy with worry.

"I didn't mean to make you worry." Jack apologised, grabbing her paw.

"Why'd you run off like that?" Nick asked, out of breath.

"Long story; I'll tell you later." Jack played down, trying to regain some composure.

"Well, Skippy, how did you manage to court this lovely lady?" Marian gushed, happy to see her godson had such a stunning girlfriend.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Skye inquired, a little confused to who this other vixen was.

"I'm Marian Wilde; Nick's mother and Skippy's godmother." Marian introduced herself.

"You're the famous Marian I've heard so much about?" Skye asked with a bit of disbelief "I'm Skye; it's so nice to finally meet you."

The introduction was broken by the sound of Nick's message tone. He got out his phone and read the message causing his ears to go flat against his skull, "Mom, I need you to drop me at Carrots' place right now." He implored, stuffing his phone back in his pocket.

"What's wrong?" Marian responded, sensing his urgency.

"There's been an accident at her building." Nick answered quickly.

Marian swiftly passed the bundle of flowers to Jack and instructed, "Tell Hannah I say hi." before kissing him atop of his head and rushing towards the exit with Nick beside her.

When the two Wildes were out of sight, Skye looked down at her still shaken love and she faltered. "Can you please tell me what's going on? Nottingham rang me and sa-"

Jack put one of his fingers on her lips, silencing her, "I will tell you everything later, but right now there's something more important we must do." Jack replied.

"What?" she pondered, still worrying.

He turned to look at his Mother's grave with Skye following suit. She gasped slightly as soon as she saw the name and gripped Jack's paw tighter, "Mom," Jack started, "I want you to meet the most special mammal in the world to me; this is Skye."

000

"It's all gone." Judy lamented, as she looked at the semi destroyed building that was once the Grand Pangolin Arms. Judy, Nick and Marian stood looking at the rubble along with the other upset residents of the building. The old armadillo, Dharma, who owned the place, was being consoled by her children and grandchildren, and Judy's neighbours Bucky and Pronk were silent for once.

"What the hell happened?" Nick asked, a comforting arm wrapped around Judy.

"The Water Tower on top of building next door; it's supports failed and the whole thing came crashing through the complex right into my room." Judy explained, her voice and face sullen.

"Was anyone hurt?" Marian queried, looking around for ambulances, but could see none.

"No, it's a miracle really." Judy answered before burying her face in her paws "All of my clothes, my family photos, my laptop; everything's gone."

"Hey, it’s ok, Fluff, you're safe, that's all that matters." Nick said, trying to perk up his girlfriend.

"But my stuff…" she breathed.

"Can be replaced," Marian asserted "it'll all be fine, my dear."

"But, where will I live?" Judy said, voicing her concerns.

"….With me," Nick said shyly, his tail wagging slightly.

"What?" Judy reacted, her voice a mix of surprise and joy.

"I know we've just started dating, and I don't want to put you under any pressure, but move in with me." Nick propositioned, slightly nervy.

Judy's ears sprung up and she leapt up to give a lip smacking kiss to her dumb fox, "Of course I'll move in with you." she squeaked before hugging him tightly. Marian could only chuckle at the loved up couple who had found happiness in a tragedy.

000

And so that's how Judy and Nick ended up living together, since they had the remainder of the Tuesday and the whole of Wednesday off, Nick had gladly used some of his savings to help Judy get back on her feet, buying her clothes, a new laptop and other essentials so that Nick's apartment felt like their apartment. During the shopping trip, Nick and Judy wore the matching campaign t shirts that she had gotten from the Trevor Moon rally and had even dared to hold hands out in public, which had earned them a few jeers and icy stares, but they didn't care, they were in love and were starting a life together.

Then Thursday came along and it was back to work, and since Nick had been taken off the M.M case that meant Judy was off it too, which caused them to be reassigned back to street patrol. It had been a productive day; the pair had caught and arrested a car thief, fined three speeders, and were currently back at Precinct 1 processing their latest arrest; a wombat, who had started a bar brawl with a hare.

Whilst Nick escorted the wombat down to the holding cells, Judy made her way up to the offices to start the boring paperwork that came with every arrest. Luckily, she had a fresh cup of coffee in hand ready to help with the boredom, but just as she was about to walk into her and Nick's cubicle, a voice called out "Officer Hopps."

Judy spun round to see Basil, Precinct 1's CSI approach with two other mammals behind him. One was another mouse, this one a little girl in a posh school uniform and a bow atop of her head, and the other a familiar little vixen dressed in the same school uniform holding a notebook. "Hi Basil," Judy replied happily.

"Sorry to bother you Judy, but my daughter and her friend are doing a school project on the ZPD, and young Luna here wanted to ask you and Nick some questions." Basil explained.

Judy looked at Luna and remembered who she was, "I met you the other day." she smiled.

"I was going to take Olivia down to the crime lab, do you mind talking to Luna for twenty minutes whilst I take Olivia on the tour?" Basil requested.

"I'd be happy to help." Judy beamed.

"Thank you." Luna grinned. She looked rather excited.

"Come on, sit down." Judy beckoned the little vixen into the cubicle and let her sit in Nick's chair as Basil and Olivia left. "So, you're doing a school project on the police?"

"Yeah, Olivia's daddies both work in the labs downstairs, so I wanted interview you, Officer Hopps." Luna explained in a rushed voice.

"Call me Judy, sweetie." Judy smiled at the young vixen.

"Um, so how well do you know Officer Wilde?" Luna asked, out of nowhere.

Judy had to stop herself saying 'He's my boyfriend' and instead answered, "He's my best friend." before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Is he a good mammal?" Luna quizzed, sounding a little jittery.

"Uh, yeah," Judy answered, wondering why she would ask such an odd question.

"And, um, do you know if he likes kids?" Luna questioned, starting to lose her cool.

"Luna," Judy said in a calming voice, "is everything ok?"

"You're his best friend, right?" Luna avoided.

"Yeah," Judy replied, not wanting to drop the subject.

"So, do you think he'd go crazy if he learned some weird news?" Luna asked, looking shy and excited all at once.

"What news?" Judy asked back, her nose twitching.

"That he's my daddy." Luna revealed with a happy smile.

Judy dropped her mug of coffee; her heart started galloping and she felt dizzy before shrieking: "NICHOLAS PIBERIUS WILDE!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! Well this is going to be fun...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review it really helps. Next time on Take a Stand, Luna gets to know Judy and Nick better, Victoria has some explaining to do and the political battle in the city grows dirty. Please review and c ya soon...)


	10. Wilde & Wilde & Hopps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna's dropped a truth bomb and now it's time for the fallout

** Chapter 10- Wilde and Wilde and Hopps. **

Nick had finished escorting the brawling wombat to the cells and was whistling a tune as he walked over to the office coffee station at the edge of the offices where Clawhauser and Nala were chatting. "Hey Spots, Rocky," Nick greeted with charm.

"You know I hate that nickname." Nala huffed, holding a half eaten donut in her paw.

"You get used to it." Clawhauser commented with a full mouth. "If he gives you a nickname, it means you're a friend."

"See? Spots gets it." Nick smiled, pouring himself a mug of coffee, his brush wagging slightly.

Clawhauser clocked onto Nick's smile and wagging tail and pointed out, "You seem chipper today."

"Duh, it's because he's getting laid every night lately." Nala replied in an absent minded manner, forgetting to keep a certain romance secret.

" _Rocky_!" Nick reacted with a hushed hiss, looking around to make sure no one else was listening. Luckily, the office was empty.

"What?" Clawhauser purred, his eyes growing big with excitement.

"Sorry…" Nala said, giving an awkward smile. She was kind of glad she didn't have to keep the secret anymore.

"You and Judy? For real?" Clawhauser interrogated with glee.

"Yes, we're together, but please keep a lid on it, if Bogo gets wind of it he'd have to split us up." Nick advised, before taking a slurp of coffee.

Clawhauser squeaked with delight before saying, "I'm so happy for you two."

"We're happy too, I mean, even after everything that's happened, I finally think everything's going our way. I feel like the luckiest fox in Zootopia." Nick admitted with sincerity.

" ** _NICHOLAS PIBERIUS WILDE_**!" Judy's voice shrieked across the office, causing Nick, Nala and Clawhauser to jump.

Nick's ears went flat against his head and felt a shivering chill run down his spine as he uttered with, "Was that Judy?"

"What did you do?" Clawhauser asked, scared for Nick.

"I don't know." Nick answered, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Sucks to be you," Nala chuckled slightly.

That's when she appeared from around the corner. Judith Laverne Hopps started marching towards Nick, her now narrowed amethyst eyes locked on the fox. Nick was rooted to the spot with fear as he saw her crack her knuckles. "I'm dead." Nick grimly summed up, wishing to know what had done that warranted such a reaction from Judy.

But before Judy could reach Nick, a small blur of ginger fur zipped by Judy and jumped at Nick and tackled him to the grey carpet. Dazed from the tackle, Nick let his eyes fall on whoever had brought him to the ground. A delighted set of amber eyes looked directly into his, a smile of celebration was presented with sharp canine teeth and a joyous voice that said, "It's you!"

Nick looked back at the young vixen on top of his chest and let out a, "Huh?" completely baffled by what was transpiring. "Aren't you that kid Carrots nearly ran over?"

"Yes, she is!" Judy seethed, her foot hammering the floor with annoyance. "Guess what else she is?"

"Um Judy, what's going on?" Nick asked with dismay, desperately wanting Judy to stop staring daggers at him and, more importantly, some answers.

Judy then turned to Luna, her face shifting to her usual kind aura and asked in a sweet voice, "Luna, sweetie, why don't you tell Nick who you are?"

"I'm your daughter." Luna answered happily and with innocence.

"What?" Nick almost laughed, clearly not believing the girl.

Clawhauser let out a loud gasp whilst Nala nearly choked on her coffee. Luna then got off of Nick's chest and announced, "You're my Dad."

"Kid, I ain't your old man." Nick tried to defuse the situation as he got to his feet.

"Are you sure about that?" Judy questioned with a bitter voice.

"Carrots, I don't have any children," Nick responded, still feeling the threatening gaze of the rabbit, "if I did I would know about it."

"Oh, really?" Judy reacted, sounding dubious, "Her Mom is your ex, she has black fur and yet Luna has red fur just like yours."

"There are hundreds of red foxes in Zootopia." Nick justified, his paw pads sweating, "Plus, it's been years since I dated Victoria, seven years easily."

"Is that so?" Judy asked rhetorically before returning her gaze to Luna and asking, "Luna, how old are you?"

"Six and a half," Luna answered, a little puzzled why Judy was so mad at Nick.

It was at that point that Nick took a good look at Luna. She had the same smile as him, she did have the same fur colour and the tip of her tail was dark not white like most red foxes. He started to question himself, ‘ _Is she mine?’_

"O M Goodnees, you are so adorable," Clawhauser gushed unable to contain himself, "what's your name?"

"Luna Elise Wilde." Luna answered, bright and proud.

"Wilde?" Nick uttered before stating "That's impossible."

Luna looked a tad cross at Nick's response and proceeded to pull her school I.D from her blazer and hold it up for everyone to look at, "See, I am a Wilde." Luna confirmed.

"Betcha' there's not a lot of red foxes named Wilde in Zootopia." Nala added.

"You're not helping." Nicked glowered at Nala.

Judy had heard enough. She went over to Nick, grabbed him by his tie and pulled him down so that they were eye level with one another and said with a raspy voice, "I want you to be honest with me; did you know about her?"

Nick looked Judy square in the eye, her eyes full of fury, to be sure, but they were also wounded, as if they could spill tears at any given moment. He answered honestly, "No, Judy I swear."

"He's telling the truth!" Luna leapt to the defence of her father, "My Mommy kept me a secret."

"This is better than a soap opera." Nala threw in, watching the scene unfold.

"So, how do you know about me?" Nick asked, still cautious of the child, still not believing that she was his blood.

"This." Luna answered, pulling a sheet of paper out of the notebook she had dropped on the floor when she tackled Nick and handed it over.

"This is all my info." Nick wondered out loud as he looked at the document before passing it to Judy who also had a look.

"Our apartment, police record, medical stuf,f…everything's here." Judy observed before asking Luna "Where did you get this?"

"I found it at home." Luna revealed, "Am I in trouble?"

"No sweetie." Judy assured, "But your dad is."

"Wh-" Nick began, but Judy jumped up and grabbed him by the ear "Yeouch!" he yelped.

"Come on, we're going to the lab to see Basil." Judy said with force, continuing to pull Nick along by his ear with Luna following beside them.

"We best keep this to ourselves, but I can't believe Nick's a Dad, who would've guessed?" Nala whispered to her new partner.

"But you know what that makes Judy? Step mom." Clawhauser smiled quietly as the trio headed for the stairs to the crime lab.

Within three minutes, the two Wildes and one Hopps were at the entrance of the crime lab in the lower floor of Precinct 1. Judy, who still held Nick by the ear with one paw, pressed the buzzer with the other. A dozen or so agonising seconds later (for Nick) the door opened to reveal three small mice on a custom made motorised platform so that they were at the same level as the work stations; Basil, Olivia, and another mouse, this one of similar age to Basil, although a little huskier and had a tuft of blonde whiskers under his nose that made a moustache and was also wearing a white lab coat, grey trousers, a white shirt and blue bow tie. "Ah Luna, so lovely to see you," Dr David Dawson opened.

"Hello Dr and Mr Dawson," Luna replied kindly and politely to Olivia's fathers.

Basil read the furious face of Judy and the anxious face of Nick and asked, "Is everything alright, officers?"

Judy let go of Nick's ear and asked in her most professional voice, "How well do you know Luna?" motioning towards the slightly nervous child.

"Well, uh," David opened, unsure of why Judy would ask this, "Luna is our daughter's best friend, she's a lovely child."

"And do you know her surname?" Nick probed, rubbing his now sore ear.

"Well, of course," Basil answered, "It's Luna Wi-….Oh, I see." The CSI stopped himself, seeing the connection, his eyes darting between Luna and Nick.

It took a few seconds for Basil's husband to realise, but when he did let out an "Oh my." before looking down at his daughter and asking, "Olivia, do you know anything about this?"

Luna saw the trepidation on her best friend's face and couldn't bear the thought of Olivia getting in trouble for her, "It's my fault!" Luna protested, "I put her up to it!"

"Luna, no," Olivia spoke up.

"I made her ask both of you for a tour of the ZPD, I'm sorry." Luna confided and apologised, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Nick saw the trembling young vixen and instinctively put a paw on her shoulder "It’s ok Kid, this is not your fault." Nick spoke, not knowing where the words came from.

Judy read Nick's mind and added "This is just grown up stuff, you're not in trouble."

"Grown ups are weird." Luna said, feeling scared suddenly, so she latched onto Nick's arm for comfort.

Basil felt a sense of mercy and offered, "I can clear this whole mess up if you like?"

"How so?" Judy pressed.

"A DNA test, I can do one right here." Basil proposed.

"How quick can you do it?" Nick asked, his tail wrapping around Luna without him noticing.

"It'll take about an hour. This is off the books, you must understand. If the chief finds out, I'm in trouble." Basil explained.

"Please, I just want to know." Nick answered, peering down at Luna, who was stroking his brush which now caringly ensnared her.

Judy looked at Luna's afraid face and felt some of her anger simmer down  _‘She's just a child, I shouldn't be angry it'll just frighten her’,_ she thought, before asking in a gentle voice "Are you Ok to do a DNA test?"

"Does that mean a needle?" Luna asked with an anxious whisper.

"Don't worry; we just need some of your cheek cells." Basil assured. He then pointed to two test tubes covered with yellow plastic on a nearby worktop, "Officer Hopps, if you would kindly grab those yellow things for me."

"Sure." Judy said as she made her way over and retrieved the two testing vials before bringing them back to the two foxes. Judy unscrewed the cap off one vial to reveal a cotton swab and instructed Nick in a very cold voice, "Kneel and open your mouth."

Nick, who daren't defy his enraged lover, quickly obeyed and she traced the swab across his cheek on the inside of his mouth, she then screwed the cap back on then moved to Luna to do the same action. When both tests were ready, Judy put them on a work station, ready for Basil's assistant to analyse. "Like I said, it'll be an hour. I'll get your phone number from Clawhauser. In the mean time, I suggest you take young Luna home," Basil suggested, "I'll call Victoria and tell her you're coming."

"Thanks for this, Basil, I owe ya'." Nick promised.

000

The journey to Victoria and Luna's home was awkward, to say the least, because it seemed a little cruel to put Luna in the back seat of the cruiser where the drunken wombat had been an hour previously. Judy had (forcefully) instructed Nick to keep Luna on his lap in the front of the cop car. The trio were quiet for a full five minutes before the fidgety Luna broke the silence, "I'm sorry."

"We told you already, you don't need to be sorry." Nick eased, keeping a safe hold of the child.

"It was a pretty clever idea," Judy complimented "you're no dumb fox."

Nick felt the barb and replied, "Carrots, please."

"Don't you ‘Carrots’ me." Judy reacted with a small snarl.

"Look, I can't understand why you're mad at me." Nick spoke his thoughts.

Judy gripped her paws tighter around the steering wheel before struggling out, "We just…forget it, let's just get Luna home."

Nick decided to drop the subject as not to make Judy more pissed off, but the innocent and curious Luna had to ask, "Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Judy and Nick looked at each other with a shared panic and let out a dual "Uhhhhhhh…."

Luna's amber eyes brightened, and she said in an elated voice "I knew it."

"Luna…" Nick began, but had no end to his sentence.

"So, Judy, what's my dad like as boyfriend?" Luna grinned.

Judy, who was finding it hard to focus on driving, avoided the question and asked her own question "You're ok with me and Nick being inters?" Judy queried, not sure how a child would take the news that their parent was inter, but from initial judgement, Judy could see no speck of disapproval on the girl's face.

"There's a bear boy in my class, Yusuf, and his parents are a Kodiak bear and a Moose, and they are super nice. My mommy says that mammals who are mean to inters are just bullies." Luna reasoned.

"Well, your Mom's right on that point." Nick agreed.

"So, do you two live together?" Luna quizzed, totally engrossed.

"Yeah, we got a apartment together." Judy answered.

Luna looked a little skittish, but proceeded to say "Judy, please don't be mad at Dad, he didn't know about me."

Judy felt a stab of guilt pierce her, she took a second before saying "It’s complicated sweetie."

"Why?" Luna asked, obviously.

"Luna, I don't think Judy wants to talk about it." Nick shot down.

But, before Luna could counter with another, 'Why?’, a loud rumble of her tummy resonated through the cruiser. "You hungry, Kid?" Nick inquired with a small laugh.

"…A little." Luna confessed, timidly.

"There are some snacks in the glove box." Judy informed as she turned a corner.

Nick opened the glove box and said, "Help yourself."

Luna was confronted with a myriad of candy bars, chips and carrot sticks, but she instantly picked up a bag and celebrated, "Blueberries, my favourite!"

Nick felt his heart rate pick up greatly and Judy's fur stood on end upon hearing Luna's words, Judy turned to Nick and simply said, "Blueberries?" as Luna opened the zip lock on the baggy and tossed a few blueberries into her mouth.

Nick let out a sigh whilst ruffling the fur on top on Luna's head, "Blueberries," Nick repeated, not wanting to delve into the subject any further.

The trio soon arrived in the most premier area of Savannah Central aptly named the Treetops, due to all the skyscrapers that dominated the area. Luna pointed to the building she lived in (the tallest) and Judy pulled up right in front of it. Judy, Nick and Luna hopped out of the cruiser and walked through the atrium of the high class residence where a friendly bull elephant donned in a smart suit awaited, "Luna, how are you?" the Elephant concierge opened.

"Hi Mr. Eilifint" Luna replied with a wave.

"Your Mom is expecting you and the officers, so you best step inside." Mr Eilifint informed, motioning the three smaller mammals to the elevator.

"Yes sir…" Luna said, worried about what was about to transpire.

Nick noticed the girl's shoulder tense, so the elder fox once again took the young vixen's paw for reassurance, and then offered, "We got your back, kid." He didn't know why he was so protective of the kit, and was trying his best not to show his anger for Victoria. He didn't know what he was going to say to her, but he knew it wouldn't be pretty.

"Which floor do you live on?" Judy asked, looking at the control panel.

Luna responded by taking a key out of her blazer and passing it to the rabbit, "You have to use a key to get to the penthouse." Luna explained.

Judy looked intrigued as she took the key and put it into the keyhole on the panel. As the door closed she couldn't help but ask, "So, is your mom rich?"

"I guess so." Luna shrugged.

"Victoria is one of the richest mammals in Zootopia." Nick elaborated.

"What does she do for a living?" Judy probed.

"You ever hear of the Todd banking group?" Nick asked.

"She works for them?" Judy guessed.

"She owns the company, she's a Todd, and it’s her family's business." Nick disclosed.

Soon the elevator arrived at the penthouse level and the door opened with a ding. Victoria stood waiting for them, but it was not the stylish image of Victoria the two cops expected to see. The black vixen was dressed in a fluffy purple bathrobe, holding onto a drip stand with an I.V bag of fluid hanging from it connected to a cannula going into Victoria's left paw. The banker had always been slim, but right now she looked gaunt, her amber eyes looked heavy and strained, and even her breathing seemed laboured. Nick had been ready for a shouting match, but now all that rage had been swept away and replaced with concern. "Victoria?" he mumbled. His surprise was obvious.

"Hey Nick, sorry about all this." Victoria returned before looking down at the sheepish Luna, "The Dawsons called me and explained what happened. I'm very disappointed in you."

"I'm sorry." Luna offered with a quivering lip.

"Don't cry, baby, we'll talk later," Victoria comforted, "go to your room, I need to talk to Officer Wilde."

"Ok." The sullen schoolgirl said, before walking down the hallway.

When the three adults heard Luna's door close, they gave a shared sigh, all three of them not looking forward to the following conversation. Victoria was a little perplexed to why Judy was present and proceeded to ask, "Um, Officer? May I ask why you are here?"

"I'm Nick's girlfriend." Judy cut to the chase.

Victoria let out the smallest of laughs, then said, "Nick always did like bunnies."

"Vic, what's all this about?" Nick queried, pointing at the I.V drip.

"Do you mind if we sit down? I'm feeling pretty beat." Victoria asked rhetorically, before leading the two officers into the living room. Victoria settled into a comfy armchair while Nick and Judy sat on a expensive looking designer sofa opposite.

Before Nick or Judy could speak another word, Victoria opened her mouth and informed, "Long story short; I'm dying."

"Oh, god," Judy breathed; her anger had not vanished. but had greatly dissipated.

"What of?" Nick followed up, his emotions now all muddled.

"Old lady cancer has it in for me. Pancreatic, to be exact," Victoria panted.

"Just like your dad." Nick remembered.

"It's the Todd family curse." Victoria added, looking at the cannula in her paw.

"But, what about chemo? Or surgery?" Judy questioned. You don't have a family as big as hers and not have relatives who have battled cancer.

"The surgery didn't work, and I stopped chemo a week ago, its spread to my lungs and my stomach. In laymen’s terms; I'm screwed." Victoria explained, sadness tainting her voice.

"Vick, I'm so sorry." Nick said sincerely "How long have you got?"

"Well, one Oncologist told me I have six months tops and another one gave me two months, I've been to ten different doctors and they've all told me it's terminal." Victoria laid out.

"Does Luna know?" Judy asked, pretty certain of the answer already.

"She just thinks I'm sick." Victoria confirmed, sounding ashamed.

"Oh, for the love of…" Nick started to growl, but composed himself and continued, "You need to tell her, and whilst we're talking about Luna, would you mind telling me why the hell I'm only finding out about her?"

"Truth be told, I didn't want you to know about her." Victoria sassed.

"And you said I was immature?" Nick shot back.

"Well, could you blame me? When I found out I was pregnant, you were still hustling pawpsicles and avoiding Mr. Big. You were a man child with zero responsibility. I didn't want Luna to be raised by a con artist." Victoria reasoned bitterly.

"He still deserved to know!" Judy snapped, leaping to her lover's aid "Nick's a good mammal."

"Are we even sure that she's mine? You did cheat on me, after all." Nick accused.

"Yes, I cheated on you, it was a shitty thing to do and I'm sorry, but I'm positive she's yours." Victoria deflected.

"How can I be sure? I mean, you got tired of roughing it with a bad boy and jumped into bed with trust fund loser Peter." Nick recalled with spite.

"Peter can't have kids; he fires blanks. That's why his first wife left him." Victoria explained.

"…It doesn't matter; the DNA test will sort this all out." Nick grunted.

Judy, who wasn't sure what to feel at this very moment, decided to move the discussion forward. She retrieved the folded piece of paper she got from Luna and opened it up on the coffee table, "Care to explain this?"

"So, that's how she found out." Victoria realised with a chuckle.

"You had someone investigate me." Nick stated "Why?"

Victoria let out a sigh before saying, "When I saw that you were a cop, I wanted to check if you were clean, and seeing as I'm going to kick the bucket soon, Luna's going to need a parent."

"You were going to tell me?" Nick voiced his confusion.

"This weekend; I was going to explain it to you slowly, and gradually introduce you to Luna. I didn't want it to happen like this…I'm sorry." Victoria regretted.

"There's still one thing bugging me, why is Luna a Wilde and not a Todd?" Nick wondered.

"The Todds have backstabbed, sneaked and lied their way to the top of the business food chain. Everyone hates us." Victoria confided, "I remember when I was in school, I wasn't hated for being a fox, I was hated for being a Todd. I never wanted that for Luna, so I gave her your name. The Todd name will die with me."

"But, if you hadn't have known about Nick's new job, what would've happened to Luna? You know, after you die." Judy pondered out loud.

"My best friend, Grace, offered to take her in. Both of her girls are in high school now, but she is a wonderful mother." Victoria answered, before wincing from a twinge of pain.

"Don't you have anyone to take care of you?" Nick sought, feeling sympathy for his ex.

"I've hired a nurse to look after me. When I heard you were coming, I sent her out to get some groceries." Victoria revealed.

The morbid air of the conversation was cut by the sound of Nick's guitar riff ringtone. He fished his phone out of his pocket and recognised it as the Precinct 1 number. He answered it and put the phone on speaker mode so the others could hear "Basil?" Nick assumed.

" _Good Evening, Wilde,"_  Basil responded politely through the phone  _"I trust you know why I'm calling?"_

"Victoria and Judy are here with me, so just give it to me straight; is Luna my daughter?" Nick requested, eagerly wanting to know the truth.

" _She is."_  Basil unveiled  _"Congratulations Wilde, you're a father."_

Nick's felt a torrent of feeling stir within, but before he could act upon them, he said, "Thanks Basil." then abruptly ended the phone call. He leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Judy looked confused and upset. She didn't know what to say or do. She was just frozen with uncertainty and anxiety, and yet subconsciously she lay her paw atop of Nick's.

Nick's mind was speeding like a freight train, his heart was in a fit of tachycardia and he felt overcome with a mixture of joy and sadness as he echoed, "I'm a father."

"Listen, I think we've all taken an emotional beating today, so let's just cool it for now." Victoria proposed, empathising with the couple.

"But, we need to sort this out." Nick defied.

"Look, I know where you live. What if I bring Luna around on Saturday and we can hash out all the nitty gritty stuff then, ok?" Victoria bargained.

"I think that's best." Judy agreed standing up, still holding Nick's paw as he stood up also.

"Officer Hopps…" Victoria started.

"Call me Judy." Judy corrected.

"Judy, I'm sorry to you too. I know this a crappy situation for you, as well. I didn't mean to make things tough between you two." Victoria apologised.

"I know you didn't. It’s ok. Just focus on taking care of yourself." Judy couldn't help but be nice, no matter the situation.

"Uh…" Nick sounded, unsure of himself, "Can I talk to Luna? Would that be ok?"

Both Judy and Victoria noted the vulnerable look in Nick's emerald eyes, Victoria gave an understanding smile and said, "Of course, her room is at the end of the hallway."

Nick walked off alone down the hallway and eventually came to a door with a handmade wooden plaque with the words 'Luna's Room' written with silver paint. With apprehension, he raised his paw and softly knocked on the door, "Come in." Luna's voice came from the other side.

Nick opened the door to see Luna sitting on the carpet with a toy doctor set and had a red plushie dragon with a fake thermometer in its mouth. Luna looked up at Nick and asked in a jittery voice, "Is Mommy going to shout at me?"

"No, I don't think so kid." Nick soothed the child's concern as he shut the door behind him and stepped into the lilac themed room.

"Are you mad at me?" Luna asked, still cautious.

"No, no. Don't worry, you're not in trouble." Nick reassured before nodding at the toy dragon, "Is your buddy sick?"

"Mr Scales has the flu." Luna informed, sounding confident as she put her toy stethoscope to Mr Scale's chest.

"Oh no, what does Dr. Luna recommend?" Nick played along, crouching beside Luna.

"Some soup and a nap," Luna grinned.

"That's very wise kid," Nick praised, patting the little vixen's head, "listen, do you remember Mr Dawson doing that test for us?"

"The one to find out if you're really my dad?" Luna picked up and perked up.

"Well, he just called me and you were right; I am your dad." Nick said, and although he didn't know it, he was smiling.

Luna's eyes lit up as she whispered, "I have a dad."

"Look, Kid, I'm new to all this. I've never had a daughter before, so please be patient with me. I might need you to point me in the right direction. So, if I'm being a knucklehead, don't be afraid to tell me." Nick spoke his feelings, not realising he was trembling slightly.

Luna gifted him a kind smile before mirroring, "Don't worry, Dad, I got your back."

Nick let out a small chortle before standing up, "Your Mom is going to bring you around to mine and Judy's at the weekend, so I'll see you soon."

But as Nick headed for the door, he heard tiny rushed footsteps, "I love you, Dad!" Luna squealed with delight as she threw her arms around Nick and gave him an affectionate hug.

Nick was startled slightly by the suddenness of the action, but after a moment he found himself hugging the little vixen back and replying truthfully, "I love you too kid." ‘ _Wait…did I just say that?’_ Nick questioned himself, ‘ _I just met this kid, get a grip, Nick.’_

000

Judy and Nick were back in the police cruiser and driving back towards Precinct 1 in the most uncomfortable silence fathomable. Nick was gazing at a small wallet sized photograph that Victoria handed to him as he left the apartment; it was Luna's latest school photo, the small vixen looking bright and chipper as ever. After looking at the picture for a dozen or so more seconds he tucked it in the breast pocket of his shirt, he then directed his attention to his girlfriend and requested, "Fluff, can you stop the car please?"

"Why? We're nearly back at the station." Judy responded, still not looking at her love.

"Please sweetheart, just find a quiet spot and pull over." Nick pleaded in a reserve voice.

Judy didn't reply with words, instead she pulled into an empty parking lot outside a hardware store; the store was closed, so the cruiser was the only vehicle around. Nick unclipped his seatbelt and exited the cruiser and faced the sunset, waiting for Judy to come out and speak to him. Fortunately, for the dumb fox, he didn't have to wait too long, Judy got out of the cop car and stepped beside Nick staring at the same sunset, "Why did you make me stop the car?" she quizzed.

"I want to know why you are so mad at me." Nick said, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"…Nick," Judy mumbled, her ears going droopy.

"Carrots, I need to know." Nick insisted, turning to the beautiful bunny.

"It's complicated." Judy evaded, not meeting Nick's gaze.

"Then make it uncomplicated." Nick pressed.

"Nick, drop it." Judy snarled, her paws balling into fists.

"No, Judy please tell me. I didn't cheat on you, I didn't even know about Luna until a few hours ago, so why are you giving me the cold shoulder?" Nick dug in.

Judy pulled at her long silky ears and let out a growl of frustration before finally divulging, "Because the only time I pictured you being a father was with OUR kit."

"What?" Nick voiced, baffled and concerned in the same moment.

"I know, right? It sounds stupid…but I always pictured us adopting our own kit in the future." Judy revealed in a sombre tone, tears now falling freely from her amethyst eyes.

"Judy." Nick said softly, reaching out to touch her, but she took a step back.

"This afternoon, I actually found myself wishing that you had never met Luna," Judy confessed with a sob, "what sort of mammal thinks that!?"

"Carrots, don't talk like that!" Nick barked.

"Why not?! I'm a bad person! I wanted your daughter to disappear!" Judy cried, "I wanted you all to myself! I'm…I'm so selfish."

"Why the hell do you think you're the villain in this scenario?" Nick choked. Judy's eyes peered up to see Nick was also crying, "You're the most wonderful mammal I know."

Judy's heart warmed at these words, but chilled again when she saw Nick's face grow more grim, "Nick?" she said, trying to catch his attention.

"For most of my childhood, I was raised by my mom. She worked her fingers to the bone to make sure I was fed and sheltered, and where was my dad? Well, I thought he was dead, killed by his own greed." Nick wept, retrieving the photo of Luna and looking at it for strength, "I always told myself if I ever had kids that I would never be like him; that I'd never be consumed by my greed."

"Nick, you're not like Robin, you could never be like him." Judy tried to persuade.

"Oh yeah, then why did Victoria keep Luna from me, huh? Because I was a con mammal, I was more concerned with making a quick buck that taking care of my family. I even fell out with my Mom over what I did." Nick roared with angst, "…I was no good for Luna when she born….so what good will I be now?"

Judy had reached her limit, she couldn't bear to see Nick in so much emotional agony, so she dashed over to him and pulled him into a tight, but loving, hug. "You listen to me Nick Wilde; you are a dumb, annoyingly charming, infuriating fox…but I wouldn't have you any other way." Judy spoke from her heart, her eyes still flowing with tears "You are not Robin Loxley, you are Nicholas Wilde, the Fox I love and the father Luna adores."

"But I have no idea how to be a dad," Nick sobbed, "I don't know how to look after a child, and besides, I've missed so much of her life; her birth, her first steps, her first word, I've never been there for a birthday or to give her a hug when she was sad."

"Don't you remember where you are? This is Zootopia; where anyone can be anything." Judy reiterated with crying eyes, "And you can be a great father."

"I'm scared, Carrots." Nick confessed, holding onto Judy tightly.

"Don't be." Judy said, pulling back and looking at Nick "I'll be with you every step of the way."

"…You don't have to…you can get out now and I wouldn't blame you." Nick sniffed.

Judy playfully punched Nick in the arm and replied with a smile through the tears, "Dumb fox, I'm not going anywhere. I love you."

Nick wiped away his tears before lifting Judy up by the waist and reciprocated in a relieved voice, "I love you, too."

Neither of them knew it yet but this was it, the moment that they became completely committed to one another, the moment they became mates for life that would love each other eternal and weather any trouble that came their way. This was true love.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ What did you guys think? Please please please Review! Next time on Take a Stand, a certain celebrity endorses interspecies marriage and the drug war takes a grim turn. Please review and c ya soon.)
> 
>  


	11. Where there is light, there is shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick talks to his Mom about the reappearance of his Dad and the shock of finding out about Luna, Bogo has had enough of wallowing in his depression, a famous face joins the pro-inter movement and Judy has a run in with a living legend

** Chapter 11- Where there is light there is a shadow. **

Mason Bogo was a creature of habit; he lived by a strict schedule and that's how he liked it. He woke up, went to work, worked out at the Precinct 1 gym, went home, read or watched TV, and then goes to sleep. But when he became romantically involved with Clawhauser, there were some welcome changes to his schedule, such as Friday breakfast.The two would meet up at McPhail's café, not far from Clawhauser's home, and enjoy a meal together.

But, of course, last Friday the two hadn't shared breakfast together. Bogo had made a decision that he had regretted ever since he made it. Ending his romance with Clawhauser had affected him more than he anticipated. He was having trouble sleeping, he'd keep rereading loving text messages the feline had sent him, and he would find himself crying whenever he dwelled too much on the failed relationship. And who did Bogo have to blame for his misery? Only himself, and he wished he could turn back the clock to last Friday morning and instead of fake laughing at Clawhauser, tell him 'I'm scared, I'm scared of coming out to my parents, my superiors and my friends'. Bogo had always admired Clawhauser for being true to himself and not caring what people thought of his sexuality, Bogo, on the other hand, had tried time and time again to tell his parents 'I'm gay and an inter', but his courage had always escaped him.

So, this Friday morning, Bogo couldn't bring himself to take a step into McPhail's café. Instead, he was sat across the street on a bench, drinking a mediocre cup of coffee and eating a stale banana muffin. He was mentally kicking himself. ‘ _What are you doing you idiot?!’ he yelled at himself, ‘You’re just going to get upset again!’_ He was about to get up and leave when he saw a familiar round figure come into view, it was Benjamin Clawhauser, of course . He was on the opposite side of the street to Bogo, completely oblivious to his ex's presence. Clawhauser got to the café entrance and looked like he was about to enter, but halted himself. Bogo observed the downhearted expression on the usually jovial cheetah's face and felt a wave of guilt strike him. After all, it was Bogo who had broken both their hearts. Benjamin took a second to recover, and then carried on walking towards the subway, not knowing that the buffalo, which he had loved and lost, was behind him, pining for them to be together again.

Within that second, something in Bogo snapped, as if frustration overpowered his sadness. No more was he going to wallow in a pool of despair or hide who he was. Mason Bogo tossed the bad coffee and muffin in a trash can and walked over to McPhail's café. He was going to win back Clawhauser's heart. He needed to be reminded of the good times together. Bogo knew begging or flirting wouldn't work. He had to prove himself, prove that he had changed and was committed. As Bogo walked into the café, he made a promise to himself; the next time he walked in here, he would be hoof in paw with Clawhauser.

000

Nick had an awful night's slumber, and it was all due to one thought; Luna. Despite Judy and Nick voicing their emotions over the discovery of the little girl, the fox still wasn't any less uneasy about being a father. He had been laying in bed with Judy, sound asleep and snuggled up next to him, with an endless stream of thoughts running through his mind ‘ _I'm going to be a terrible father, I don't know how to care of a kid, I'll need to redecorate the spare bedroom, what am I going to do when Victoria dies? How will I comfort Luna? That poor kid, all of this happening to her and, to top it off, she's lumbered with a loser for a dad…And Carrots has got a jerk for boyfriend, this isn't fair on her, we just started dating and just like that we have a kid living with us.’_ This cycle of self doubt and worry continued on and off through the night, resulting in sporadic sleeping for Nick.

When the couple got up for work, Judy had given Nick a loving kiss and long hug whilst whispering, "Everything's going to be ok." Nick savoured the affection, it gave him strength and will, and he was going to need it for what he was going to do this morning; talk to his mother. Nick hadn't spoken to his Mom about the fact that Robin Loxley was back in town, and now he had the extra kick of, 'Surprise you're a Grandma!', but he knew it was better to speak to her sooner rather than later. He decided to take the morning off and go talk to Marian. Judy agreed this was the best course of action and wished him luck with a goodbye kiss.

Nick walked into the grounds of St. Zoo High in the Sherwood District of Savannah Central feeling the pleasantness of nostalgia; he was once a student here and somehow managed to graduate despite skipping classes to do the odd hustle here and there. He made his way to the computer lab after flashing his ID at one of the security guards who patrolled the school. He walked into the lab to see students of various species dotted around at different PCs, barely noticing as a cop entered the room. He approached the closed door to the technician's office and knocked on the door. "Come in." Marian's voice came through, Nick did as instructed, and Marian's eyes lit up when she saw it was her son "Nick, what a surprise."

"Hey, Mom," Nick smiled back.

Marian got up from her workstation, which had four monitors and two keyboards, saying, "I know I say this every time, but you look so handsome in that uniform, no wonder Judy fell for you." She then hugged her grown up kit and kissed him on the cheek.

"What are you working on?" Nick asked politely while nodding at the computer monitors.

"Ugh, some wannabe hacker from the student body tried to hack the grading system, but I stopped them. I'm just trying to figure out who it is." Marian explained, clearly frustrated by the hacker.

"Marian Wilde; bane of teenage hackers," Nick joked.

"So, what brings you here? None of the students are in trouble, are they?" Marian asked, confused.

"No, nothing like that," Nick said, relieving his mother's worries, "I need to talk to you about a couple of things. Is there anywhere we can talk?"

"We can't talk in my office?" Marian queried, looking puzzled.

"Um, I'm not sure how you're going to react, and you don't want to be in earshot of your students." Nick explained with an awkward expression on his muzzle.

"This should be good." Marian replied sarcastically.

A few minutes later, Nick and Marian sat in the empty stands surrounding the sports field. No students were practising on the field at the moment, which was perfect for Nick. But Nick didn't know where to begin. This was going to be hard to say. Marian detected her son's discomfort and commented, "Stalling will not make it any easier."

"Sorry, it's just difficult to talk about." Nick gave an excuse.

"Are you and Judy ok?" she asked with genuine concern.

"We're fine, it's something else," Nick assured "listen, I'm sure you've heard about the M.M gang causing trouble all over the city."

"Who hasn't?" Marian scoffed, "All that's on the news at the moment is either the M.M or the election."

"That's why Jack has come back to Zootopia, the MCB is trying to catch them." Nick continued, "The bureau was working on the theory that this M.M gang was just copying and glorifying the originals."

"Nick, stop," Marian halted, putting a paw on her son's shoulder "It's ok."

"But-" Nick began to protest.

"I know that it's Robin and John." Marian sighed.

"You knew?" Nick asked, perplexed.

"Oh, come on, really? The style of robbery, the archery, hitting the mob? It had your dad and your uncle John written all over it." Marian elaborated.

"So, how long have you known?" Nick questioned.

"Ever since the first news report; I knew it was Robin, I could just sense it." Marian revealed, her shoulders slumping with sadness.

"…I saw him." Nick confessed.

Marian's eyes went wide as she followed up with an urgent, "When?"

"The other night, Carrots, me, Jack and some others were on a drug bust. Jack chased after the perp on his own, nearly got himself killed, but Robin saved him." Nick answered. Marian noticed Nick wouldn't say the word 'Dad'.

"He saved Skippy?" Marian asked with a grin. She felt like a teen with a first crush again.

Nick twigged his Mom's cheery demeanour and pointed out, "You almost sound happy he's back from the grave."

"It's complicated, Nick." Marian replied bashfully, "I'm still technically married to Robin, remember."

"He was a master criminal, a liar, a coward; he faked his own death and left you alone to raise me!" Nick partly growled.

"And I still love him." Marian admitted.

"What?!" Nick yelled.

Marian ignored her son's outburst and declared, "I still love your father."

"Are you serious?" Nick stressed, his fur standing on end.

"Yes, I am, even after all the mistakes, after all the years, I still love him." Marian confided, "I mean didn't you think it was weird that I’ve never had a boyfriend after your Dad?"

"…Yeah, I always kind of wished you found someone else." Nick answered, calming down.

"But, I didn't want to. Look at this way; if Judy was the Hood and she had done all the things that Robin has, would you still love her?" Marian gave a hypothetical.

"That's not fair." Nick countered.

"Would you still love Judy?" Marian pressed.

"…Of course." Nick answered, being honest with his Mom and himself.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it? I didn't freak out like you thought I would." Marian chortled.

"Uhhh," Nick sounded, not sure how to divert the conversation to the next topic.

Marian's eyes narrowed and asked in a voice only a mother could muster, "What are you hiding Nicholas?"

"So, um, I found out some news yesterday." Nick struggled under the intimidating gaze of his Mom; it was like he was a kit again.

"Out with it." Marian instructed.

"Ok, here it is; you're a grandmother." Nick said quickly akin to ripping a band aid off.

"Come again?" Marian sniggered, not believing she heard him right.

"I have a daughter." Nick confirmed with an anxious voice.

Marian was silent for about five seconds, clearly stunned by the news she just received, her face wasn't giving away any emotions. Nick could read most mammals, but he could never read his mother. Finally, she spoke, "You have a daughter?" still showing no emotions.

"I only found yesterday, she tracked me down at the ZPD." Nick garbled.

Then, before Nick could utter another word, Marian let out a squeal of joy and wrapped her son in a big hug, "I'm a Nana!" she celebrated.

"Mom?" Nick murmured, surprised by the sudden shift in her expression.

"Oh, my stars!" she said with delight "Tell me everything!"

"Well, her name is Luna, and she's six." Nick answered, a little overwhelmed by his mother's reaction. He retrieved the small photo of Luna from his pocket and handed it over.

Marian took the photo and elated, "She's beautiful."

"You ok?" Nick queried, noticing Marian's navy blue eyes had become watery. "I'm just happy." Marian choked; she was now crying freely, "I've always wanted grandchildren."

"Well, she's a sweet kid, you'll like her." Nick added, finally smiling.

"So, what happened? Why did you just find out about her?" Marian asked twice, still entranced by the photo of the little kit.

“Her Mom and I dated years ago. It ended badly and when she found out she was pregnant she kept it from me, she didn't think I'd make a good father." Nick explained briefly.

Marian's happy face quickly changed and was replaced with a frown, "Who's her mother?" she asked, her voice simmering with annoyance.

"Victoria Todd." Nick answered.

"That stuck up tramp?!" Marian shrilled

"Mom, calm down." Nick attempted.

"When I see her, I'll bop her right on the nose. Saying you're not good enough to be a Dad." Marian vented.

"Mom, listen…" Nick tried again, and failed.

"I'll rip that trollop's tail off!" Marian threatened, even if her kit was in his thirties she was still protective of him.

"Vic is dying!" Nick had to shout.

"What?" Marian uttered, her flaming anger now being extinguished.

"Vic has got pancreatic cancer; she's terminal and doesn’t have long left." Nick answered.

"Oh, god," Marian whispered, feeling guilty for letting herself become angry.

"Luna's going to live with me and Judy when her Mom passes away." Nick stated.

"That poor angel," Marian sympathised, looking at the photo again, "What does Judy think of all this?"

"She was upset at first," Nick confided, "but, she's says she'll stick by me and Luna."

"Of course she will." Marian gave a comforting smile.

"…I told her she should leave me." Nick confessed "She said she'd stay…dumb bunny."

"Why on earth would you do that?" Marian asked, appalled at her son's words.

"Because she should get out while she still can! She's only twenty five, she could find someone who won't lumber her with a step child. And Luna, I feel so bad for her, she's losing her mother and gets stuck with me; a loser who has no idea how to raise a kit." Nick ranted, not noticing he was crying.

SMACK! Marian's paw whipped around the back of Nick's head. Startled by the strike, Nick just stared at his Mom as she said in a critical tone, "That's for doubting yourself!" and then came another quick SMACK!, "And that's for doubting Judy!"

"Ow." Nick moaned, rubbing his now sore head, memories of being told off as a teenager came flooding back.

"You will be a great father, Nick, I'm sure of it. Don't you think I was terrified when I found out I was pregnant with you? Me and your Dad were both 16, our parents kicked us out, and we had barely any money, and yet we managed. We raised you and we love you. And you're worried about how you'll manage; you have a home, money and a girlfriend who wants to help you raise Luna." Marian rallied.

"Mom," was all Nick could say.

"And as for you doubting Judy, shame on you," Marian scolded, "That woman loves you and she is the sweetest mammal in Zootopia. You think she wants out? News flash; she doesn't. She fell in love with YOU! She wants to spend her life with YOU! So don't you dare doubt her again."

"Ok." Nick conceded.

Marian opened her arms and Nick gladly hugged his Mom, "Plus, you’ve got a Nana to help with babysitting." she added cheekily.

Nick laughed slightly at the comment before saying, "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, my little kit." Marian replied, ending the hug, "So, when do I get to meet my granddaughter?"

"She's coming over on Saturday with Vic. I'd really like it if you were there." Nick revealed.

"Meeting my grandchild? I wouldn't miss it for the world." Marian promised with a warm smile.

000

Nala and Clawhauser had honed in on Judy the second she stepped inside Precinct 1 without Nick beside her. The bunny quietly clarified that she hadn't killed Nick, and that the fox was, in fact, visiting his mother. But, of course, they got onto the topic of Luna. Judy explained about the DNA test and Luna's mothers’ impending departure, but Nala noticed the caring nature in Judy's voice, she had a good feeling that her, Nick and Luna were going to be ok.

As for now, the two feline cops were driving into the Meadowlands District to the north of the city. This was one of the more exclusive areas of the city, the mammals here were rich and rather conservative, which is why it seemed odd to both cops why there was a Pro-Interspecies marriage rally being held outside the opera house. Nala and Clawhauser had pulled into the opera house's parking lot and could already spot two crowds forming outside the building, one pro-inter and one anti-inter. The two cats exited the car and made their way to the demonstration. Both crowds were relatively quiet, but were staring daggers at each other, all of them wearing T-shirts and holding signs that supported their cause. Benjamin and Nala joined the dozen or so police who made a barrier between the two parties. Clawhauser took one look at the anti posse and sighed as he read the hurtful signs 'Inters are unnatural', 'Keep Zootopia pure' and the most hurtful 'Pred +Prey = Freaks'. Nala recognised her friend's hurt and offered, "We don't all think like that, you know."

"Huh?" Clawhauser sounded.

"I'm not an inter, but, I support you guys, you should be able to marry." Nala smiled.

"Thanks Priderock." Clawhauser responded and meant it; it was always good to know your friends were there for you.

"Anytime," she grinned with a wink.

 **"Good morning, everybody!"**  a voice said, coming through a megaphone. Everybody turned their attention to the steps of the opera house to see a male mountain Tapir, dressed in a 'Moon for Mayor' T-shirt and khaki shorts,  **"Thank you for showing up to support us! And if you have come to oppose us, well, I hope we can make you understand."**

This caused a chorus of cheers from the pro crowd and a wave of boos from the opposition.  **"Now, I know I'm not a big celebrity, I'm just an accountant who is in love with a boar. But, maybe someone with a little more class can change your mind."**  the Tapir addressed through the megaphone, ignoring the string of insults being directed at him from the anti-inter crowd. Both crowds were murmuring, wondering who this mammal was, and then they got their answer…

"O.M. Goodness!" Clawhauser gasped.

"No freaking way." Nala's jaw dropped.

From the crowd, a beautiful figure emerged wearing a black tank top and matching black jeans. She looked both elegant and confident as she gratefully received the megaphone from the Tapir activist , **"Buenos dias Meadowlands!"**  Gazelle greeted over the megaphone, resulting in cheers from one side and murmurs of confusion from the other.

"It's her, the angel with horns!" Clawhauser beamed, hardly believing that the singer he adored the most was mere feet away.

"I guess you're wondering if I'm here to show my support for interspecies marriage. Of course! But, I'm also here for another reason." Gazelle announced.

"You rule Gazelle!" an inter supporter cried.

"Why are you supporting those freaks?!" a Bastille voter snapped loudly.

 **"I am here to say this; I am am inter!"**  Gazelle declared to a roar of applause that silenced the boos from the other side.

"She's an inter?" Clawhauser mumbled.

"You're awesome, Gazelle!" Nala shouted out, not caring that she was supposed to appear neutral.

 **"And you must understand, that I and most of the inter community don't have any ill will to those fight the marriage bill, we just want to make you understand how we feel."**  Gazelle explained  **"In schools and on field trips to museums, we were taught that mammals evolved past their primitive ways and came together to live in harmony, to forge friendships that break the barrier of species, of prey and predator. Is it so hard to realize that romance might grow between species? I want to ask all of the Mammals outside of the pro inter crowd; are any of you inter and wish you were standing with us?"**

There was a rabble of disagreement amongst the anti inter demonstrators. None of them raised their hand, possibly in fear of what other would say. But, someone wasn't afraid, and this someone didn't even realise he had raised his paw,  **"You, there!"**  Gazelle smiled brightly as she pointed her hoof at Clawhauser  **"Officer, please, can you come up here?"**

Clawhauser looked up at his outstretched paw and gulped, "Uh oh."

"Go for it!" Nala egged on.

Clawhauser lowered his paw and made his way towards his idol, getting pats on the back from the inter crowd as he made his way up the steps. Gazelle lowered the megaphone took a hold of Clawhauser's paw and said with merriment, "Thank you for this, sir, it means a lot, Officer?"

"Clawhauser, I'm a huge fan." Clawhauser panted, his breath short from exhilaration.

"Ready to face the haters?" she asked with positivity.

"Always," Clawhauser agreed.

Gazelle put the megaphone in front of her mouth again and said,  **"This is Officer Clawhauser, a proud inter. Sir, can you tell everyone, in your own words, why inters should be allowed to marry?"**

Clawhauser didn't feel put on the spot, it was like Gazelle was a spark of inspiration that gave him the words to captivate any audience. He took the megaphone from Gazelle and looked briefly at the crowd and his heart skipped a beat when he saw who was standing next to Nala, it was Bogo, and instead of his default grumpy face, he was wearing a kind expression that warmed the cheetah's heart. Clawhauser began to speak through the megaphone,  **"Love is an amazing thing, it gives us joy in the happiness of times and strength in the toughest. Love doesn't see gender, it doesn't see species, it just exists. And if two mammals share this love, then why shouldn't they be able to enact the ultimate expression of love? Please, just let inters marry."**

This statement caused a whoop of cheers from the pro crowd and applause from his fellow officers, including Bogo. Clawhauser passed back the megaphone and got a huge hug and peck on the cheek from Gazelle before re-joining the line of cops. Even though Clawhauser hadn't fully forgiven Mason, he did smile and nod at his ex, holding onto the hope they could be friends again.

 **"Thank you, Officer Clawhauser, that was beautiful."**  Gazelle said gratefully, before turning her attention to the crowd once more,  **"Minds can be opened. We should let go of this hate between our two sides and focus on what we share, then we'll all see that we're the same, that we all love. And I have so much confidence that Zootopia will elect Trevor Moon as mayor …well, just watch."**  Gazelle looked for someone in the crowed and her face lit up once she spotted the right mammal, she spoke,  **"Wade, can you come up here?"**  she asked, her voice a tad giddy.

Everyone looked toward where Gazelle's gaze was pointing; a figure in a red hoodie (with the hood up) carefully made his way through the crowd. When the figure arrived at where Gazelle stood, he pulled down his hood; he was a wolf with jet black fur and stood half a foot taller than Gazelle. "What are you doing?" Wade asked with hushed concern.

Gazelle then passed the megaphone back to the tapir and focused completely on the wolf in front of her, "Something I should've done a long time ago." she answered, her pulse quickening.

"What are you talking about?" Wade asked again, sounding a little nervous.

"Wade, Te amo, I have loved you since we went to St. Zoo High together. Every day that you've been in my life, I have never known sorrow. Most of my happy memories have you in it, and now I want to make more memories with you." Gazelle professed before reaching into her pocket and producing a tiny, red leather box. Getting on one knee which caused a shared gasp among all of the audience, she said, "Wade Jones, will you make me the happiest woman in Zootopia?" Gazelle proposed smiling at the happily shocked wolf. She opened the box to reveal a silver engagement ring, meant for a male, with a ruby in its centre; it was the same red as Wade's favourite hoodie.

There was a brief lull of silence before Wade simply smiled and answered, "Yes."

The pro supporters went wild and other wolves howled as Gazelle slipped the ring on her now fiancé's finger, then stood up and kissed him lovingly to the sound of cheers. And even though the anti-inter protestors were silent, more than a few of them began questioning their views.

000

Even though Judy was eagerly waiting for Nick to return from visiting Marian, she despised being cooped up in the precinct doing paperwork. Judy loved being on the beat, but she had to wait for Nick to get back. She looked at the clock in the corner of her computer screen and it read 11.31 am. Nick had sent her a text message that he would back at the precinct for midday. That's when a light bulb flicked on above her head. Nick had looked pretty disheartened this morning with all the events of the previous day weighing heavily on his mind, so he needed cheering up. She decided she was going to buy them both some of his favourite greasy junk food for lunch and have it waiting for him when he returned.

Five minutes later, Judy was walking down one of the quiet side streets of the borough to the nearest Bugga Burger fast food joint. It was then that she heard a gravelly voice holler, "Help!" Judy's sensitive ears twitched and quickly pinpointed the source of the distressed voice, "Help me!" the voice yelled as she sprinted to a nearby alley where the voice was coming from. It was a small space between two buildings. Judy spotted a figure on his knees beside a metal fence railing at the end of the alley and as Judy ran over she noticed the man was wearing a shabby brown poncho with an equally grubby hat on his head, a cane and a tin up were on the ground beside the figure. Judy realised it was the same blind beggar fox that she met outside Precinct 1 last week.

"Sir?" she fretted as she knelt next to the beggar and put a gentle paw on his back "What happened?"

"Sorry about this." the fox spoke, but not in his usual aged voice. His elbow shot into Judy's gut, stunning and winding her. The fox then took advantage of her daze and threw her against the metal railings.

Within three seconds, she had been handcuffed to the railing and her tranq pistol taken from her. As soon as she got her senses back, she barked at the now standing beggar, "Uncuff me!"

"Like I said; I'm sorry." the beggar offered, before removing his sunglasses, hat and poncho.

Judy's anger then morphed into disbelief as she looked upon the revealed canine, "Robin Loxley?" she spoke, her surprise evident in her amethyst eyes.

"So nice to see you again, Officer," Robin greeted politely, the late forties fox was dressed in a grey sweater and black pants. He unloaded the tranq gun and placed it on the ground

"What's meaning of this?!" Judy seethed, tugging in vain against her own handcuffs.

"I needed to ensure you wouldn't arrest me." Robin relayed with a smug smile.

"Yeah, well, that smile will be wiped off your face when my backup arrives!" Judy argued before reaching for her radio with her unrestrained paw.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, I have some important intel for the ZPD." Robin advised.

Judy heard this and resisted pressing her comm. She lowered her paw and asked, "How did you know where to find me? Or were you going to do this to any cop you ran across?"

"Oh no, I had to make sure it was you, after all you seem like an honest cop." Robin answered, his hazel eyes full of confidence. "You could say I've been keeping an eye on you."

"You've been following me?" Judy guessed, observing the remarkable similarity in appearance between Robin and Nick.

"I haven't had to," Robin grinned "check under your badge."

Judy unclipped her badge off her ballistic vest and noticed a small circular disc on the back "A tracker." Judy groaned, feeling stupid.

"I put it on you when you helped me in front of Precinct 1." Robin elaborated.

"That's pretty smart." Judy admitted, removing the tracker and tossing it aside, "Is this how you knew the ZPD would be at the fight the other night?"

"Exactly, you led us right to Thumper and Flower. They had about fifty grand in their car; a local orphanage really appreciated the donation." Robin informed.

"Rob from the rich to give to the poor." Judy stated with a peeved tone.

"Before I give you this intel, I have to ask; how's Skippy?" Robin queried.

"Like you care," Judy scoffed.

"I do, actually." Robin insisted.

"From what I've heard about you, you care about no one but yourself." Judy attested.

"Oh, is that what you think? You read some police files and think you got me all figured out, Officer?" Robin rebuffed.

"Hopps, Judy Hopps. And of course I read your file, but that's not where I learned about you." Judy bated.

"What are you talking about?" Robin wondered, curious, yet cautious of the rabbit.

"I can't believe he was worried about being like you, at least he cares about mammals." Judy taunted.

"Ok, number one; I do care about other mammals. Little John and I are doing this for the poor of Zootopia, and two; who are you talking about?" Robin was getting wound up.

"He would never run away like a coward, abandon his love to raise a kit all alone. He is nothing like you." Judy provoked.

" ** _Who?_** " Robin forced.

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde." Judy unveiled with her own smug smile.

Robin stood stunned for a moment. Judy could see the cogs turning in the master thief's head and she took it as a small victory. "You dragged my son into this? How dare you!" Robin snapped.

Judy started to laugh, which caused Robin's glare to worsen, "Well that's one thing you got in common; you're both dumb foxes." She teased, still chuckling. Judy was a sly bunny, indeed.

"Leave my boy out of this, I don't want Misdadd or Rattigan figuring out who he is, they could hurt him." Robin pleaded.

"I didn't drag Nick into this; I just can't believe you didn't recognise him." Judy smirked, loving the fact she was getting on Robin's nerves.

"You lost me." Robin stated, growing weary of being mocked.

"The other night, when saved you saved Jack, Nick was the one who called out your name, and he's my partner." Judy explained.

"Nick…Nick was that cop?" Robin mumbled, his ears lowering.

"And here's the stinger; I'm dating your son." Judy said with smarm.

And to Judy's surprise, Robin smiled at that last sentence, "He became a cop and has an honest cop as his sweetheart. Not bad, Nicky." Robin spoke.

Judy, being a little puzzled by the sudden change of mood, decided to be charitable and added, "And to answer your first question, Jack is fine."

Robin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to compose himself before saying, "Well, this is a turn up for the books, I handcuff a copper, and she turns out to be my potential daughter in law."

"And I may have an outlaw for an in law." Judy retorted.

"Ah, you've got a sense of humour at least." Robin tried to charm "But back to business."

"If you had intel why didn't you pass it through Mr Big like before?" Judy wondered.

"Because time is against us, you only have a two hour window," Robin replied, before looking at his watch "make that one hour and fifty six minutes. To be blunt, there's been a murder."

"What?" Judy reacted, her voice growing serious.

"I was tracking some of Rattigan's goons in Sahara Square, I thought they were on their way to another drug deal, but when they arrived at the weather control plant, I knew something was amiss." Robin recalled.

"What happened?" Judy asked, eager to spring into action.

"Here." Robin said, retrieving a smart phone from his pocket and playing a video; there were two midsized mammals wearing ski masks, to avoid identification, standing by the trunk of a parked car with a covered up licence plate. They opened the trunk and started to unload black trash bags and bring them over to a large vent cover that had been opened.

"What am I looking at?" Judy questioned.

"Keep watching." Robin instructed. The video continued to play, and as one of the mammals on the screen ripped apart a bag, a severed leg fell into the vent. This nearly made Judy hurl. The video continued and the mystery mammals continued to dispose of body parts down the large vent. Robin pressed pause on the video, stuffed the phone back in his pocket before handing Judy a micro SD card, "You'll need that for evidence."

"What the hell did I just see?" Judy asked, feeling slightly queasy as she took the memory card.

"The mob likes to call it red sand." Robin answered, sounding grim.

"Red sand?" Judy obviously asked.

"The heating system for Sahara Square bellows massive amounts of heat and sand every four hours through a system of large heaters and fans. Those fan blades are so sharp and move with such speed, they can reduce anything to mere fragments, so if a gangster wants a body to disappear, they dump it in a vent, wait for the heating system to kick in, and all that remains of the body is some bloodstained sand at the other end." Robin illustrated.

"Oh, god," Judy grieved for the victim.

"Judy, I’m bringing this info to you because you seem like a clean cop. Please, you have to make sure Rattigan doesn't get away with this." Robin motivated, "That body will be gone in less than two hours if you don't find it."

"I'll find the victim." Judy promised.

"Thank you, and sorry again about all this," Robin said pointing at the handcuffs. "You can call for backup now."

But as Robin went to walk away, Judy spoke up, "Thank you for this, but when we meet again, it'll be you in these handcuffs."

"I look forward to the chase." Robin replied with a playful tone before dashing out of the alley.

Judy couldn't help but smile as she saw Robin run away; Nick had inherited his charm from his dad. Judy reached for her radio, pressed the button and said, "This is Hopps, I need assistance. I'm in a alley off of Mill Street, over."

" _Carrots, you ok?!"_ Nick's panicked voice came over the radio.

"I'm ok Nick, but you're not going to believe who I just ran into." Judy responded with a tired sigh, wondering how Nick and Bogo would react.

000

To say Nick was pissed off would be a major understatement. He had blown his top over the fact that Robin had not only hit Judy, but cuffed her as well; it took some bellowing words from Bogo to calm him down. The chief had arrived in the alley with Nala and Clawhauser when he heard what happened over the radio, the MCB, of course, scrambled a team to look for the Hood but, as expected, found no trace of the vexing vulpine. Chief Bogo had called the Weather Control Plant and ordered them to stop the heating system for Sahara Square, which they reluctantly complied with. Soon, the entire Weather Control Plant was swarming with cops from varying precincts. Nick, Judy, Nala and Clawhauser were back in the south west area of the plant removing the covers of vents, trying to find the one where the murder victim was dumped in.

The team had split up to cover more ground. Judy was having no trouble lifting up the heavy vent covers. After all, she worked out a lot and always beat Nick in an arm wrestling contest. But, then she came to one vent cover that was proving difficult to budge. She then spotted the other side had a padlock on it, unlike the others she had inspected. In a lapse of judgement, she walked over the vent and she heard the metal bend beneath her feet but, before she could escape, she fell through the weak mesh metal and crashed six feet below her with a thud and a moan of, "Oh sweet cheese and crackers." She got to her feet and tried to get her bearings. Judy was struggling to see in the dimly lit space, although her nose was getting a waft of decay, it was the smell of death. She fumbled for the flashlight on her belt and illuminated the darkness to have her fear confirmed; she saw the severed paw first, then the rest of the corpse diced into pieces, ready to be disposed of. Terror consumed Judy, and she fell to the cold metal floor, unable to look away from the bloody paw.

Judy reached for her radio and stammered "I f-found the v-victim." Her heart hammering as she looked upon the first dead body she had ever seen.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! Judy's found her first dead body, poor bunny. What did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review, like, reblog, fave and follow, it really helps. Next time on Take A Stand we learn the identity of the victim, there's a twist in the new murder case and our favorite mammals go out for a drink. Please review and c ya soon...)


	12. Downtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you do when you find a mutilated corpse? Go shopping of course

** Chapter 12- Downtime **

Nick, Bogo and Nala were at the foot of the autopsy table looking at the body parts laid out on the cold metal surface, reconstructed like some gruesome jigsaw with Dr. David Dawson at the head of the table with a Red Panda junior mortician by his side. The victim was a very muscle bound tiger, with an old burn across the left side of his face; the mammal was cleanly cut at the neck, torso, higher arm, forearm, thighs and knees. "Looks like the Hood's intel was good." Nala commented.

"The only good thing he's ever done." Nick put a sour note on it.

Bogo noted Nick's words and decided to direct the conversation forward, "Do we have an ID for the victim, Dr. Dawson?"

"Yes, this gentlemammal is Sher Khan." David posthumously introduced, standing beside the severed head that was much larger than him.

"The boxer?" Nala guessed.

"You've heard of him, Priderock?" Bogo enquired.

"Yes sir; old Khan used to be a big name in the ring, but he was banned by the boxing federation for his aggressive nature." Nala explained.

"Isn't boxing supposed to be aggressive?" Nick countered.

"True, but this guy took it to another level. He'd go too far during a bout and was violent out of the ring to boot; last I heard, he was fighting in the underground bare knuckle circuit." Nala informed.

"Do we know how he died?" Bogo asked the burning question.

"Well the body parts were chopped and separated after Khan had died, there seems to have been some physical altercation as there is bruising under the fur and small lacerations from being punched." David listed, pointing to the some cuts on the dead tiger's cheeks.

"Beaten to death?" Nick mused, "Any idea what kind of mammal did this?"

"Well, I think the killing blow might give us an indication," David opened, walking across the autopsy table and motioning towards the chest, "there are a pair of puncture wounds on the chest, the left one resulted in the heart being pierced, thus killing him."

"And you don't think it was a knife?" Nala assumed.

"From the sizes and jaggedness of the wounds, I'd say it was a set of horns that killed him." David concluded.

"So, we're looking for a prey with horns or antlers as a suspect." Bogo summarised "This is the mammalcide detectives' case for now, but we'll need to start narrowing down suspects to save time."

"Clawhauser is going through the traffic cams looking for the car the gangsters used to move the victim." Nala informed.

"Good, join him and alert me if you find anything." Bogo ordered.

"Yes sir." Nala acknowledged before leaving the morgue.

Bogo then turned to Nick and asked in a concerned tone, "How is Hopps?"

Nick gave a sigh before answering, "This really shook her up, I mean this is the first dead body she's ever come across."

"You seemed to handle it ok." Bogo noted.

"I grew up in Sherwood, so I've seen my share of stiffs over the years, but Carrots is from Bunny Burrow. They don't have horrific murders like this." Nick worried for his girlfriend.

"It's a horrible thing to say, but you get used to it; I had a similar reaction to Hopps’ the first corpse I came across." Bogo empathized.

"I best go see how she's holding up." Nick said, turning to the door.

"Actually, Wilde, Agent Savage has requested your presence in the armoury." Bogo directed.

000

Judy had retreated to the female locker room once her and Nick arrived back at Precinct 1. Nick had tried to console her, but she brushed him off; not because she didn't want his comfort, but because she wasn't used to feeling so helpless. Judy considered herself a strong mammal; both physically and mentally, but when she saw that diced up tiger, she felt like a frightened little kit again. In her eighteen months of being a cop, she had heard her fellow officers talk about murder scenes, even a big hippo like Higgins admitted freaking out about the first body he found. Judy always thought she'd be able to handle it, but she was wrong. She had taken a long shower, trying to scrub away the memories, but they still lingered. She changed into her ZPD sweat pants and T shirt due to fact her uniform was stained with the murder victim's blood. She sat on a bench outside her locker, looking at a photo of Nick on her phone for strength. She regretted not taking the offer of comfort, but she just didn't want to appear weak, her pride getting the better of her.

Judy heard the main door to the locker room open and expected to see Nala come round the corner; instead, a sympathetic Skye Winter appeared, "Hey." she greeted simply.

"Hey." Judy mirrored.

Skye sat on the bench with the downcast bunny and spoke, "I heard what happened at the Weather Control Plant, I'm sorry."

"I'm fine." Judy deflected.

"You're a crappy liar." Skye called out "Judy, it's ok to feel what you're feeling; you're a mammal not a robot. Everyone gets upset from time to time."

"…I just thought I'd be ready." Judy said, lowering her guard.

"No one ever is, and by the sounds of it, you had quite a hellish first experience." Skye replied.

"It's strange; I've put the image out of my mind, but I can still smell the blood and the rot." Judy confided, looking down at her feet, "How did you deal with your first dead body?"

"I put on a brave front, which lasted all of two minutes, then I just broke down crying." Skye answered honestly.

"How did you get over it?" Judy asked, wanting a solution for her woe.

Skye let a small smile grow on her muzzle, but didn't answer; instead she got out her phone and began texting at a rapid pace.

"Who are you texting?" Judy wondered.

"I'm telling Bogo that I need your assistance with something in the city." Skye informed, before sending the text and getting up from the bench, "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Judy asked yet another question.

"Somewhere where you can forget about what happened at the plant." Skye promised, leading Judy out of the locker room.

000

"Here we are!" Skye announced with glee as she stepped out of the taxi, then went to the window to pay the driver.

Judy got out of the other door and looked up at the building they had rolled upto. It was Selfuridges, the most high class and fancy department store in all of Zootopia, Judy looked at a well dressed female polar bear exit the store and admired her fashion sense before looking down at herself and realising she was in sweat pants and a t shirt. "Um, Skye, what are we doing here?" Judy asked, feeling self conscious.

"To shop, it always helps me relax." Skye grinned, walking towards the main entrance with Judy trailing behind her.

"You know what the salary of a beat cop is, right?" Judy asked, giving an awkward laugh, walking through the revolving door with Skye.

"Pfft, forget about it." Skye shrugged off, "My treat."

Before Judy could protest, a glamorous looking Hyena in a fashionable red dress appeared out of nowhere and welcomed in a sweet as honey voice, "Good afternoon, Ladies, welcome to Selfuridges. My name's Mona, and I'm here to make your trip here today as enjoyable as possible."

"Lovely to meet you, Mona," Skye responded with ease, producing a credit card from her suit pocket and handing it over to the hyena "I'm Skye, and this is Judy. We're both in need of some retail therapy. Are you a personal stylist?"

"I am, indeed," Mona confirmed with a smile before looking at the oddly nervous Judy, "and I can already picture this lovely lapin in about six gorgeous outfits."

"Oh." was the only sound Judy could make. She was flattered, but still felt out of place.

"Can we have a private dressing room and a bottle of champagne sent up please?" Skye requested.

"Of course, Claire will take you to your dressing room." Mona obliged, snapping her fingers and an equally fashionable tan furred weasel appeared.

"Thank you." Skye replied as Mona went off to fetch some clothes.

"This way, ladies," Claire directed.

"Champagne?" Judy asked with a hushed tone as she walked beside Skye.

"It's the perfect beverage for when you're shopping." Skye twinkled.

"Are you nuts?! This is going to cost you a fortune!" Judy gave a quiet string of worried words.

Skye let out a chuckle before responding, "I'm a district director of the MCB, so the money's no issue. When I'm not working, I'm spending time with Jack, so I rarely get a chance to spend my money."

"But, Skye," Judy was about to protest some more, but was stopped by a kind expression on the arctic fox's face.

"Come on, live a little. It's fun to shop with a friend for once, and by the time we're done you'll have forgotten about that nastiness from earlier." Skye persuaded.

"Ok." Judy submitted with a smile, getting her phone out and texting Nick that she was with Skye so he wouldn't worry.

Half an hour later Skye sat on a plush sofa in the private dressing room chatting to Judy, who was behind a curtain, getting changed into an outfit Mona had selected for her, "Nick has a daughter?!" Skye gasped with disbelief.

"Yeah, we were surprised, too." Judy commented "And she's going to be living with us soon."

"What's her name?" Skye queried, taking a sip of her champagne.

"Luna, she's such a little cutie." Judy replied. Skye could tell from Judy's tone that she was smiling.

"You sound like a gushing parent." Skye giggled.

"Well…I guess, I mean I'm kind of like a…" Judy struggled, coming out from behind the curtain wearing a pair of designer jeans and a white long sleeve top.

"Like a step mom." Skye finished.

The realisation hit Judy like a slap to the face as she mumbled, "Oh, my gosh,"

Skye noticed the daunted look in Judy's amethyst eyes and grinned "You just realised it, didn't you?"

Judy went over to the small table where her champagne flute was resting and downed the entire glass in one gulp, "I'm going to be a step mom." Judy breathed, grabbing the champagne bottle from the ice bucket and refilling her flute.

"Congrats." Skye chortled, whilst reading Judy's face, "I can't tell if you're happy or terrified."

"Is it normal to be both?" Judy asked with an awkward smile.

"Probably," Skye assured.

"It's feels strange." Judy continued, "I've only known her five minutes and yet I feel so protective of her."

"I understand the feeling completely." Skye eased.

"Huh?" Judy reacted.

Skye looked around to see that Mona the stylist had gone to fetch more garments. She then patted the spot on the sofa beside her, inviting Judy to sit down and listen to her. Judy sat down and Skye began to talk "Jack and I have been together nearly ten years. We started out as friends with benefits, but we fell for each other and, soon enough, I couldn't imagine my life without him."

"Awww," Judy cooed.

"But, I could always see Jack wanted more for us, he wanted a family, but because we're inters we can't marry, and unmarried couples can't adopt. We were looking at other options like using a surrogate or a sperm donor, when the impossible happened; I got pregnant." Skye remembered out loud.

"What?!" Judy exclaimed.

"I was carrying Jack's baby." Skye reiterated.

"But, that's impossible! You're a fox, he's a rabbit. Your genetics don't mix." Judy said, stating the obvious, trying to wrap her head around this information.

"And yet, it happened. I just thought I was ill, so when the doctor told us, we were over the moon. The docs said it was extremely rare, but there were cases of mammals of different genus having babies." Skye recalled, "The doctor confirmed it was just one kit and it was way too early to tell what sex it was, but Jack was convinced it was a girl, and soon enough, so did I. My mind always drifted to thoughts of what she was going to look like, her personality and all that other stuff. The point is, I felt that maternal protection from the moment I realised I was going to be a mother, so it's only natural that you would feel it to even if Luna is not biologically yours."

Judy took heart from the advice, but had to ask "So, what happened with the baby?"

Skye took a short breath before revealing, "Two months into my pregnancy, I was driving home from the office when a drunk driver crashed into the side of my car…I miscarried."

"Skye," Judy whispered, big tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry, Jack and I grieved and moved on, plus we're still trying for a baby. If he got me pregnant, once he can do it again." Skye smiled softly.

"I really hope you two get what you want." Judy said with sincerity.

"And besides, if Jack and I can conceive, there's no reason Nick can't knock you up." Skye encouraged with a nudge of the elbow.

The skin of Judy's ears grew a deeper shade of pink as she thought out loud, "A little brother or sister for Luna."

"Well, you've proven the broody rabbit stereotype." Skye beamed, sipping her champagne.

"Har har," Judy replied, with a roll of her eyes.

Mona the hyena then came into the dressing room, holding two cocktail dresses that shimmered with sequins; one was black as night and the other smaller one was the same colour as Judy's eyes. Skye's face lit up before nodding, "Perfect! Say, Mona, does this place rent tuxedos?"

"Why, yes." Mona answered.

"Why would we need tuxedos?" Judy questioned the vixen.

"I didn't say the tuxes we're for us." Skye grinned devilishly.

000

Nick got the text from Judy on the way to the armoury, which was on the other side of the building. It read, 'I'm with Skye having some girl time, I'm ok, love you xxx'. Nick took comfort in knowing his sly bunny was feeling a bit better. Nick entered the armoury to find Jack with his gun laid out in various parts on a tool table; he was sitting and cleaning every part of the weapon. The armoury consisted of a few tool tables, a firing range and a cage with the ZPD’s entire arsenal, with a snoozing donkey in the dispensing booth. "Hey Jack." Nick spoke up as he approached the distracted MCB agent.

Jack looked up and replied, "Hey, looks like you got my message." as he began to reconstruct his gun.

"Everything ok?" Nick asked, recognising the seriousness of his old friend's voice.

"Not really." Jack answered, putting his gun back on safety mode and slipping it into his holster "And from what I heard, you ain't doing so well either."

"What gave you that idea?" Nick said, attempting to play it cool.

"I saw you when you went to get Judy from the alley, you looked furious." Jack pointed out.

"…He hit her." Nick quietly growled. "He tricked her and handcuffed her."

"I assume you want to kick his ass?" Jack theorized.

"Of course I do, I want to smash his smug face in." Nick snarled.

"You know, he probably didn't know that Judy is your girlfriend, right?" Jack pointed out.

"That doesn't change the fact that he did it!" Nick snapped before sighing, "I should've been there."

"Not that I'm criticising or anything, but why weren't you there?" Jack quizzed.

"I went to see my Mom; I needed to tell her about Robin and Luna." Nick answered, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Jack.

"Luna? Who's Luna?" Jack asked with curiosity.

Nick then let out a laugh that surprised the buck bunny before saying, "Oh yeah, I didn't tell you yet, I'm a dad, Luna's my kid."

"Bullshit." Jack sniggered.

"No it's true; Luna's my daughter. I even had a friend run a DNA test for me." Nick said, retrieving his photo of Luna and handing it over to the disbelieving Jack.

"No way," Jack expressed, taking a look at the smiling kit, and then commented, "She looks like your Mom."

"I guess she does." Nick smiled.

"When did all this come about?" Jack probed, still surprised by the revelation.

"Yesterday," Nick answered.

"Ouch; wait let me guess, the mom was a one night stand years ago?" Jack painted the picture.

"Worse; her Mom cheated on me." Nick corrected.

"Double ouch." Jack sympathised.

"Actually triple ouch; Vic is dying." Nick added taking back the photo and tucking it away.

"Holy shit," Jack cursed "Does that mean the little lady is going to live with you and Judy?"

"Yeah, Vic and Luna are coming to our apartment tomorrow and we're going to go through all the legal stuff." Nick explained.

"I know I should say congratulations, but I just feel sorry for the little one, I mean, she's losing her mom." Jack conveyed.

"I'm going to be there for her, and Judy will be there too." Nick stated.

"You're one lucky bastard, Wilde." Jack chuckled.

"I know." Nick let himself smile before saying, "So, what's going on with Thumper and Flower?"

"You heard?" Jack sounded a little defensive.

"I looked at the case file, I'm sorry." Nick apologised.

"Don't be." Jack said before declaring "Neither of them will snitch on Madame Misdaad."

"So, that means they’re going to trial for what happened to your family?" Nick guessed, wanting justice as much as him.

"Finally, after all this time, I'll find out why they did it." Jack gritted his teeth.

"They'll get the death penalty for what they did." Nick hoped.

"Here's hoping." Jack agreed.

"What happened to your family, Skippy, I'm…" Nick struggled.

"It's alright, Nick, I know and they know. Our families were always there for each other." Jack vouched.

"And we still are." Nick promised

Jack then began to laugh to himself, causing Nick to question "What's so funny?"

"I just remembered the time you asked Jo to the school dance." Jack chuckled.

"Oh man, your sister was brutal." Nick laughed along.

"What did she say? Oh, yeah, it was, 'I wouldn't be seen dead with your hustling, slimy, conniving ass'." Jack quoted.

"She never said I wasn't handsome." Nick bigged himself up.

"Actually, she did have a thing for you." Jack clued in.

"You're shitting me?" Nick dismissed.

"No, it's true, I took a peek at her diary once, and damn did she have the hots for you once you hit puberty." Jack confided.

"Damn," Nick laughed before looking up at the ceiling and saying "Jo, when I get to heaven you best have a kiss waiting for me."

The two old friends continued to chat about old times for another hour or so until the subject of the Hood came up again, that's when Jack remembered out loud, "Oh, yeah, I forgot to give you this." He reached under the table and grabbed a metal weapons case and laid it out flat. He flipped the catches on the side and opened it up.

"Whoa." Nick reacted; within the case was a high tech composite bow that was the same blue in colour as his ZPD uniform.

"Robin taught us both how to be great archers, so if we're going to bring him down, I only think it's fitting we use these." Jack boasted, getting out another case with a bunny sized bow in it.

"How did you get these?" Nick asked, taking out his bow from the foam lining of the case.

"I’ve had the MCB tech guys working on them for a while, gave them the ‘fighting fire with fire’ spiel. Anyway, I've gotten permission from Bogo to let you have this in your cruiser's trunk, in case you ever need it." Jack bragged, pulling an arrow from the quiver still resting in the case and twirling it in his paw.

"What sort of arrows have we got?" Nick asked, sounding exited.

"All non lethal; we got tranq, taser, tear gas and, my favourite, the grapple arrow; just like the Hood." Jack smirked, walking over to the firing range.

"So, we can beat him at his own game." Nick smiled with confidence.

"Question is; are you still a good shot?" Jack challenged, before firing an arrow and it hitting the centre of the paper 'Small Mammal' target down the range.

Nick answered by letting fly an arrow and it piercing the head of the target, before smugly replying, "You were saying?"

"Show off." Jack grinned.

The pair practiced their archery for a while, to the pleasure of the various cops who came down to the armoury, to practice their marksmanship skills, only to be dazzled by the archery skills of Wilde and Savage. After they were done, Jack noticed he had a text from Skye on his smartphone; it read, 'Go to precinct main desk, there's a present waiting for you and Nick.' The duo consequently headed back to the main lobby to find an older ram cop, known as Gleeson, Clawhauser's replacement at the front desk, smiling as the two approached, "Evening, boys." Gleeson beamed, "I have something for ya'." The ram then passed the fox and rabbit a pair of suit bags. Nick grabbed the larger one and unzipped it to find a very expensive looking tux within; Jack found the same in his bag along with a note 'Palmtop Casino VIP room- S & J XXX'

000

Nick couldn't stop looking at himself in the elevator mirror. His tuxedo was a perfect fit and he wanted to look his best for his love.

Jack sniggered when he saw Nick checking himself out and sang, "You're so vain."

"Damn right." Nick buffered, "Carrots won't be able to resist me in this."

The two friends had gotten changed into their fancy duds in the male locker rooms of Precinct One and had hailed a cab outside the main entrance. When they arrived at the casino in Sahara Square, they were greeted by a camel concierge, who instructed them to get into the elevator and select the top floor. When the elevator reached its destination, the door opened to a dimly lit nightclub with mammals of varying species chatting, drinking, gambling and dancing throughout the space. The two stepped out of the elevator and scanned the area, looking for their belles but, instead, heard them first, " _Why am I always hit on by the boys I never like, I can always see 'em coming, from the left or from the right_." Skye belted out a tune. Jack and Nick directed their attention to a snug in the corner, where both women were pushing away two males; Judy shoving a brown furred rabbit away, and Skye showing her distaste for a male arctic fox's advances.

" _I don't want to be a priss, I'm just try'na be polite But it always seems to bite me in the..."_  Judy sang in tune before taking a sip of her cocktail, smiling with victory as the two defeated Casanovas walked away.

" _Ask me for my number, yeah, you put me on the spot._ " Skye continued the melody, sitting back down and grabbing her own cocktail off the table.

" _You think that we should hook up, but I think that we should not_." Judy dueted, swaying to the beat. Nick and Jack were all smiles as they walked over, Judy and Skye looked beautiful with Judy in her sparkling dress that was the same shade as her eyes and Skye in a gorgeous little black dress that contrasted against her snowy white fur.

" _You had me at 'Hello', then you opened up your mouth._ " Skye trilled.

Then the two ladies wrapped an arm around each other, raised their drinks and chorused " _And that is when it started going south, Oh! Get your hands off my hips, 'fore I'll punch you in the lips, Stop your staring at my... Hey! Take a hint, take a hint, No you can't buy me a drink, let me tell you what I think, I think you could use a mint. Take a hint, take a hint, La, la, la...T-take a hint, take a hint La, la, la..."_

__

"Bravo." Jack cheered, consequently ending the girls' song.

"Not bad, Carrots." Nick admired.

"Nick!" Judy squealed, leaping from her seat and hugging Nick all without spilling her drink.

"Nice to see you too, sweetheart," Nick flirted before kissing his beloved then asking, "Is that vodka I taste?"

"It's called an 'Agent Orange'; three parts carrot juice, one part vodka." Judy grinned.

"Ah ha, the Vodka Witch has returned!" Nick chortled, picking Judy up by the waist and spinning her around.

"Vodka witch?" Skye giggled. Her and Jack were sitting down both enjoying each other's embrace; Jack was kissing Skye's cheek softly.

"Long story," Judy teased. She was going to take another sip of her drink, when a slow dance track came on, courtesy of the hedgehog DJ who noticed the two lovey dovey couples.

Nick spotted the expectation in Judy's alluring eyes and invited with an open paw, "May I have this dance?"

"Of course," Judy reacted and was led to the dance floor. Skye and Jack also made their way over to the dance floor. Judy spotted the brown rabbit that she had rejected earlier glaring at her, so she smirked at him and flipped the bird in defiance before letting Nick take the lead and dance together. Halfway through the song, Judy closed her eyes and rested her head against Nick's chest and continued to dance. She was convinced this would be a night she would never forget and, for the first time since it had happened, the rotting smell had disappeared and was thankfully replaced with the red fox musk.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ AWW! You guys deserved a nice ending after the gruesome last chapter. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Next time on Take a Stand; Victoria and Luna visit Nick and Judy, we find out who killed Sher Khan and Judy and Nick are forced to make a difficult choice. Please Review and C YA SOON!)
> 
>  


	13. Bravery and Sorrow

** Chapter 13- Bravery and Sorrow. **

Benjamin Clawhauser was munching on a croissant as him and Nala walked through the lobby of Precinct 1. The happy cheetah was humming a Gazelle tune; the memory of meeting his idol yesterday still filling him with glee. "It is way too early to be that cheery." Nala criticized, her whole form slumped with sleepiness.

"Aww, what's up?" Clawhauser inquired, noticing the lioness' drowsiness.

"Kion crawled into bed with me and Simba again last night and he just kept wriggling ,so I got like two hours sleep, tops." Nala complained.

"But, your kids are so cute, so that makes up for it right?" Clawhauser tried to put a bright note on the situation.

"They are," Nala sighed, "but, they're the sworn enemies of sleep."

"But, Simba's a stay at home Dad, right? Surely, he takes care of the kids most of the time." Clawhauser replied.

"Yeah, my family is great…until bedtime." Nala deliberately paused.

"So, why did you agree to overtime if you're so tired?" Clawhauser wondered.

"I want to treat Simba for our anniversary next month; I'm taking him on vacation and sending the kids to my mom's." Nala planned out loud.

"Ooh, maybe baby number three is on the way?" Clawhauser teased as he munched the last of his croissant.

"Don't jinx me; two is enough." Nala shot down. They arrived at the front desk where Frank Gleeson, the sixty something year old ram, was reading the newspaper, "Morning, Frank."

"Ah, how are ya, Nala and Benny?" Gleeson opened politely.

"Enjoying my old chair?" Clawhauser asked, spotting the chilled out look on the old ram's face.

"Very much so, my grandkids have been on at me for years to get a desk job anyway." Gleeson answered. "And you seem to be enjoying being out on the beat."

"I do, I've really missed it." Clawhauser smiled.

"Say, have you seen the chief? I want to ask him if there's been a break in the Khan murder." Nala questioned, the cop in her itching for work.

"Yeah he's here, but…" Gleeson started but dropped off with a tricky face.

"But, what?" Clawhauser continued: his voice quieter and his eyes narrowing.

"He's very un-chief like today." Gleeson expanded.

"How do you mean?" Nala pondered.

"Well, he usually comes to the desk to collect his mail and paperwork to sign, has a quick chat, grabs a coffee, and then trots off to his office." Gleeson played out, "But, this morning, he just walks by wearing a ZPD hoodie."

"The chief, in a hoodie?" Nala smirked, never knowing the chief in anything but his pristine uniform.

"You got that paperwork for him? I'll bring it up, I want to ask about the Khan Case anyway." Clawhauser fibbed. In actuality, he was worried for his old flame; if Mason wasn't sticking to his routine, something was amiss.

"Be my guest." Gleeson complied, handing over the bundle of files to the spotted feline. "Thanks." Clawhauser replied as he made his way to the curving staircase to the upper floor. It only took him a minute to reach the chief's door. He rapped his knuckle upon the door and stated, "Mason, it's me."

"B-Benjamin?!" Mason's voice came from behind the door, obviously caught off guard.

"I've got some paperwork for you to sign," Clawhauser diverted, anxious to know why Bogo was being so shy.

"Just slide it under the door." Bogo suggested way too quickly. Clawhauser huffed and opened the door only to have Bogo hastily whip up his hood to cover his face, "I said slide it under the door!" Bogo barked. He was in his chair behind his desk.

"What's going on? Why are wearing that hoodie?" Clawhauser asked with force, closing the door behind him.

"Clawhauser, go about your duties." Bogo tried to brush off, his head bowed.

Benjamin marched over to the skittish police chief and reached for the hood, "Mason, look at me." He said before touching the cotton fabric of the dark blue hood.

"Benjamin…" Bogo's voice sounded weak, he raised his hoofs to stop Clawhauser's wrists in a vain attempt to stop him, but the Cheetah continued to pull down the hood to reveal the forlorn face underneath. Bogo looked ashamed, as his head was still bowed, but Clawhauser could see the massive black eye and band aid used to cover up a laceration on his brow.

"Oh, my goodness!" The spotted cat expressed, "What happened?"

"It's fine; I just had an…argument with someone." Bogo reworded, staying seated in his chair, he didn't feel like standing tall at this moment.

"Looks like you lost the argument." Clawhauser fussed, rushing over to get the first aid kit hanging on the wall in the corner.

"Benjamin, there's no need to fret; I'm fine." Bogo attempted to sooth.

"Did you clean the cut before you put on that band aid?" Clawhauser asked. When Bogo remained silent he added, "I thought so." as he took out a bottle of anti-septic solution, a cotton swab and a fresh band aid from the first aid kit.

"It's just a cut above the eye; it isn't like I've broken anything." the Buffalo tried to shrug off.

"Who did this to you?" Clawhauser interrogated, his voice stern as he gently peeled away the bloody band aid to reveal the wound that had yet to scab over.

"…You don't want to know." Bogo sighed.

"Yes I do, a report needs to be filed. No one attacks a cop, let alone the chief of Precinct 1, and gets away with it." Clawhauser groused, pouring a small amount of antiseptic onto the swab before applying it to the fresh cut.

Bogo winced for a mere second as the solution stung his flesh, then relaxed. He gazed briefly at the tentative soul whom he hurt so much and confessed, "It was my father."

Clawhauser stopped running the swab over Bogo's brow. The cat wasn't sure of what he just heard, so he pulled back and looked Bogo in the eye before saying, "Come again?"

"I finally did it," Bogo replied, "I finally came out to my parents."

"You did what?! And he did that to you?!" Clawhauser snarled, his emotions conflicted.

"I am no longer welcome in my parent's house and, apparently, I am being written out of the will." Bogo summarized "Apparently, they don't want a gay inter for a son. When I said I was fine with that, my father punched me. I guess he thought the threat of losing my inheritance would change who I was or force me to live a lie…truth is; I'm tired of lying."

"How do you feel?" Clawhauser asked with gentleness.

"Scared, sad, confused…free." Bogo listed before giving a small smile, "I finally feel free, I don't care if anyone knows anymore. I just wish it didn't take me until I was forty to do it."

"What made you do it?" Clawhauser queried, feeling his heart strain.

"You," Bogo simply answered.

"Me?" Clawhauser panted, the skin under his fur was heating up.

"Yesterday, at the rally with Gazelle, when I saw you stand up and talk about who you are with pride and without fear, it inspired me. You gave me courage and I want to say thank you." Bogo spoke with heart.

"Mason…" Clawhauser's smile grew, his soul warming with each passing second.

"I know I am the worst mammal on the planet for treating you the way I did. I understand if you still hate me, but, I want you to know, you are the person I respect most in this world and I want to one day be worthy of your friendship once more." Bogo professed with an uncharacteristic shy voice.

Clawhauser had been shook to the core by Bogo's words; the senior cop had never been so honest and open before, even while they were dating. An emotion sprouted in Clawhauser's heart, a heart that had been broken so badly and so recently, but this feeling could repair any fracture. Benjamin didn't give this emotion a voiced word, instead he leaned in to the seated Bogo and instinctively gave a soft, but sensual, kiss, Clawhauser could feel Mason tremble with surprise at the kiss, but still wholeheartedly reciprocated the affection. After a dozen seconds, the two ended the kiss and the buffalo was left in a stunned silence as Clawhauser finished putting the band aid on. "You have one week." Benjamin stated with an air of confidence.

"For what?" Bogo asked, the buzz from the kiss leaving him a little breathless.

"To prove that you've changed, I want us to go out on dates in public, for you not to wuss out, and introduce me as your boyfriend, and I want you to meet my dad. If you can do all that; I'll take you back." Clawhauser offered, trying to appear nonchalant, but unable to hide an excited grin.

Bogo stood up and his face illuminated instantaneously as he beamed "Yes! Yes, of course I will! I'll prove myself!"

Clawhauser took a hold of Bogo's hoof and said sincerely, "I'm proud of you, coming out to your parents must've been a nightmare."

"It was but, on the upside, I get a second chance with you and I swear to you I won't screw up this time." Bogo promised, realising how much he missed just holding Clawhauser's paw.

"You’d better not. Remember, I'm a pred and I could just eat you up." Clawhauser joked.

"Oh, really?" Bogo scoffed, pulling Benjamin closer into an embrace before snogging him with desire.

The romantic moment didn't last long however, Nala burst into the office, yelling, "Chief, we got a situ-uhhhhhhhh?" Nala stood slacked jawed as she stared wide eyed at the two mammals that looked like two giddy teenagers getting caught.

"Good morning, Priderock." Bogo composed himself. He couldn't help but find Nala's face amusing.

"I, uh, wow…" Nala babbled, trying to process what she was witnessing.

"What's the situation?" Bogo asked, still holding onto his rekindled love's paw.

"Right!" Nala snapped back to reality, "You need to come to the front desk, we have a break in the Khan case. There's a guy downstairs who says he knows who killed the tiger." The three cops then hastily exited the office and made their way down the staircase to the front desk to see a very worried looking Gleeson talking to a shaken up young stag. Clawhauser recognised him from the drug bust at the Clashing Camel.

Bogo approached the Stag and said in his most professional manner, "Sir, my name's Chief Bogo; I understand you have some information about a case."

"N-no you…you don't understand," Bambi stuttered, with tears in his eyes, "I've come to c-confess; I killed Sher Khan."

000

Nick and Judy had a wonderful night at the Palm Top Casino, even though both of them didn't drink too much; they didn't want to be hung-over for Luna's visit. Jack and Skye, on the other hand, were blind drunk and getting frisky with one another by the time Judy put them in a taxi. Judy and Nick woke up around 10am, but didn't get out of bed until midday, due to intimacy. Luna and Victoria were due to arrive at 4pm along with Victoria's personal assistant, Grace, to help with the paperwork. Nick had texted Victoria back and said that his Mom would be coming over to meet her granddaughter. Judy and Nick spent the early afternoon cleaning the apartment, which wasn't that messy to begin with, and moving all the junk that cluttered the spare room into the basement storage unit, so it would be ready to become Luna's room. Whilst Judy seemed excited at the arrival of the adorable kit, Nick just seemed anxious; it took a long hug and a few kisses from Judy to ease his fears. It was 3.55pm and Marian had arrived at the apartment, and Judy noticed that the Vixen was as nervous as her son. Marian was tapping a claw on her coffee cup when Judy said, "Like Mother, like son."

"Huh?" Marian sounded, still tapping her cup. Nick sat beside her on the sofa, looking restless once again.

"The pair of you look like you're about to face a firing squad, not a little girl." Judy smirked.

"I can't help it, Carrots." Nick voiced, before standing up and fixing his collar, "How do I look?"

"You look handsome." Judy complimented.

"But, do I look a Dad?" Nick worried.

"And what does a Dad look like?" Judy laughed.

"I don't know; responsible, lovable, fun," Nick garbled, his ears going flat against his head.

"Nick, you're all of those things. Besides, Luna already thinks the world of you." Judy went over and held his paw for comfort before pulling him down and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Say, do I look like a Nana? I mean, should I have worn something else?" Marian stressed, looking down at her outfit, which consisted of black jeans and a pink rugby style jersey, "I think I don't look grandmotherly enough."

"Marian you look great. My Mom is a grandma to nearly a hundred kits, and she dresses the same way she did when I was little." Judy informed.

KNOCK KNOCK! The sound of rapping at the door made all the ears shoot up in the room. Judy and Marian looked to Nick, who took a deep breath before heading over to the front door. As soon as Nick opened the door, Luna leapt at Nick and ensnared him in a tight hug, "Dad!" she greeted with glee.

"Hey, kiddo," Nick replied, happily scooping up the girl in his arms and kissing her on the forehead, before looking at Victoria coming through the doorway with Grace close behind. Victoria looked a lot healthier than she did when Nick and Judy last saw her; she seemed more awake and less in pain and, instead of a robe, she was dressed in one of her designer suits. Grace had to crouch to get through the short doorframe; she was also dressed in a suit and carried a briefcase.

"Hey, Vic." Nick greeted, still holding onto Luna.

"Thanks for letting us drop by." Victoria replied, glad to see Luna so happy.

"Are you feeling any better?" Judy inquired, her caring nature rearing its head.

"A lot better today." Vic answered

"Oh, this is my personal assistant and my best friend, Grace."

"It’s nice to meet you, officers." Grace greeted formally.

"Please, it's Nick and Judy when we're not in uniform." Nick corrected in a friendly manner, setting Luna down.

Luna dashed straight over to Judy and almost tackled the bunny with a hug, "Judy!" she squealed with joy.

"Oh, I missed you too, sweetie." Judy responded with a grin and an equally tight hug. The fox kit was in a flowery summer dress that was alive with colours. Luna then noticed the apprehensive figure of Marian, who still stood by the sofa, clearly unsure of what to do. Luna then whispered to Judy, "Who's that lady?"

Judy spotted the trepidation in Marian's face before suggesting, "Why don't you go say hello."

Luna took the few short steps towards Marian and opened with a sunny, "Hi! I'm Luna."

"Hello." Marian gave an anxious smile.

There was a couple seconds of silence before Luna said in a kind tone, "This is the part where you say your name." Nick and Judy both struggled to contain their chuckles as they looked at the flustered Wilde matriarch.

"O-oh of course; I'm Marian." Marian haphazardly introduced herself, kneeling down so she was closer to Luna's eye level.

"That's a nice name." Luna complimented "Why do you look scared? I'm not scary."

"No, you're not scary." Marian assured.

Nick felt merciful and threw his mother a lifeline, "Luna, this is my Mom."

"She’s your Mom?" Luna pondered, before her face lit up with excitement, "You're my Grandma!"

Marian finally relaxed when she saw Luna's face light up and she smiled, "Call me Nana."

"Nana!" Luna celebrated, delivering her third hug in a matter of minutes, "I've never had a Nana before."

"Let me get a good look at you," Marian spoke, pulling back for a second, "you are beautiful."

"I hope you don't mind me inviting my Mom around." Nick quietly said to Victoria.

"Don't worry about it. Luna needs to know her grandmother. She never got to meet my folks." Victoria allayed, "Although, she's a lot younger than I expected."

"Yeah, that caught me off guard too." Judy related, "You guys want a drink?"

Ten minutes later, the six mammals sat around the open plan kitchen/ living room with cups of coffee with Luna, who was sipping a juice box. Victoria then moved onto the subject of Luna spending nights at the apartment, "So, Luna, how would you feel about spending a couple of nights a week here?" Victoria asked carefully.

"Like a sleepover?" Luna guessed. She was sitting on Nick's knee.

"Kind of, but you get your own room." Nick explained.

"And we can decorate it anyway you want." Judy added.

"So, I'll live here sometimes and at my other home the rest of the week?" Luna was trying to suss out.

"Yeah, basically," Victoria answered, before asking Nick and Judy, "Have you two got any days in mind?"

"We've talked about it, and we were thinking Wednesdays and Saturdays." Nick proposed.

"But, I have music practice on Wednesdays." Luna butted in.

"You still get to go, it's just Nick or Judy will pick you up instead of your mom and me." Grace informed.

"You play an instrument?" Nick asked his kit with a proud look.

"I play the violin." Luna beamed.

"Your dad used to play the guitar when he was young." Marian revealed, relishing the sight of Luna and Nick so close.

"Really?" both Luna and Judy questioned.

"That was a long time ago." Nick shrugged before smiling once again at Luna, "And I bet you're a million times better at playing music than I ever could be."

"Dad," Luna shied away.

Just then, Victoria gave a little groan of pain and her paw shot to her stomach, causing Grace to quickly ask, "You ok?"

"I'm fine." Victoria gave a weak smile, causing the grownups in the room to share concerned looks.

Luna hopped off of her father's knee and went over to her mom, "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm just feeling a little poorly, baby." Victoria glossed over.

"Hmmm," Luna sounded before bursting out with, "I know how to make you feel better!" before rushing over to Judy, "C'mon Judy, I'll need your help." she said excitedly before grabbing Judy by the paw and leading the bunny to the front door, "We'll be back soon!" she hollered as she continued to drag the surprised Judy.

As the door slammed shut, Marian chuckled, "Well, that was abrupt."

"She's always been like that." Victoria smiled through her pain, "Once she gets an idea in her head, there's no stopping her."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Nick asked.

"Believe me, this is one of my better days." Victoria informed with a sad look, "But, since Luna's off for a few minutes, maybe we can sign some of these legal papers for shared custody."

000

Luna's plan to cheer up her mom was simple; ice cream. Luna knew that her mom's favourite food was ice cream, specifically triple chocolate fudge brownie, so now she was on a not so epic quest to get her mom the sweet confection. Luna had clued Judy in on her plan as they made their way down the stairs and Judy was happy to help the loveable little vixen. The closest ice cream parlour, however, was somewhere Judy knew very well; Jumbeaux's ice cream. Even though the proprietor could be a bit of a prejudiced jerk, the parlour had won various awards for it's amazing sweets and, as a result, mammals of all sizes came to the shop and so they had to offer smaller portions to the smaller customers. As Judy and Luna entered the establishment, Judy couldn't help but giggle, causing Luna to ask, "What's funny?"

"Nothing sweetie, it’s just that this is where I first met your dad." Judy smiled with nostalgia as they got in line for the counter.

"Was it a date?" Luna asked in a cheeky manner.

"Nope, your Dad and his friend Finnick were trying to buy one of those jumbo pops." Judy revealed, pointing to the multi-coloured frozen treats in the glass case

"They couldn't eat one of those." Luna doubted.

"Oh, they weren't planning on eating it." Judy chuckled.

"Then, what were they doing with it?" Luna wondered.

"I'll tell you when you're older." Judy made an excuse, not wanting to tarnish Luna's perfect image of her dad.

Luna's face screwed up at those words before muttering, "I hate when grownups say that."

"Huh?" Judy responded to Luna's odd words.

"Judy, we're friends right?" Luna asked, going off course.

"Yeah, of course," Judy assured.

"And friends don't do mean things to each other," Luna said, her tone slightly mature for a six year old, "like lie or keep secrets."

"Uhhh?" Judy made a noise to match her uncertainty of what was going on.

"So, if you are my friend, I want you tell me what's going on with my Mom." Luna reckoned.

Judy was stumped; she had just been bamboozled by a six year old. She was definitely her father's daughter, "Luna, I can't say…" Judy struggled.

Tears began to well up in Luna's amber eyes before she uttered, "I thought we were friends."

"We are." Judy assured, reaching for Luna's paw, but she pulled back and ran off.

The fox kit ran out of Jumbeaux's ice cream parlour with tears soaking the red fur of her cheeks. Judy was close behind, running after the kit and catching up to her easily, "Sweetie, stop!" Judy pleaded, tears in her own amethyst eyes, putting a paw on the kit's shoulder.

The kit came to a standstill, but was still sobbing heavily, "I'm sick of this!" the kit shrieked, tears falling onto her flowery summer dress, "I just want things to go back to normal."

"I know it's hard at the moment, but we can get through this." Judy assured in a motherly tone, pulling the little girl into a hug.

"Tell me it's going to be ok!" she cried. But Judy couldn't lie to the child, she knew the truth hurt, but she couldn't shelter her forever. All Judy could say was, "I'm sorry, Luna."

"She's dying isn't she?" Luna asked the most painful question.

"You need to talk to your Mom about this." Judy advised, holding the child close and giving her the most soothing hug she could muster. "But she's going need some ice cream."

Luna looked up at Judy with water pools of amber and sniffed, "Ok, let's get her some ice cream."

000

When Judy and Luna arrived back at the apartment, Victoria could instantly tell something was wrong from the look on her daughter's face. The resulting conversation was as painful and as brutal as one could imagine. Everyone had tears in their eyes as Victoria explained she would be going to heaven soon and that Luna would be living with Nick and Judy when that happened. There was shouts, screams and shrieks from Luna, who was both angry and sad in the same moment. Nick told Luna that she would have to be brave and help look after her mom, and that everyone would be there for her whenever she needed it.

And so the day came to a close, and Judy and Nick spent the Sunday entirely in bed. The pair of them had had one hell of a week, and an entire day of love making and tenderness was just what they needed.

Monday came and Precinct One was abuzz with the Sher Khan revelation. Not only had the murderer come forward, rumour was he was prepared to snitch on Rattigan. And since this was a big case, DA Bastille wanted to take it on personally. Bambi had been given his own cell, and extra cops had been posted to guard his cell to prevent any attack from the mob. Bastille was out on the campaign trail on Monday morning, meaning the interview wouldn't happen until 3pm. Nick and Judy had been told by Clawhauser about his reignited relationship with Bogo. Judy was shocked whilst Nick was dubious of the Chief, not wanting to see Clawhauser hurt again.

This was the topic of conversation as the pair drove through downtown in the police cruiser, "So, you knew that Bogo was Clawhauser's ex?" Judy asked, still surprised by the info.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to out him even though he was complete asshole." Nick griped, shuffling in the passenger seat.

"You're worried that Bogo's going to break Benjamin's heart again?" Judy assumed, as she stopped at a red light.

"Of course, I just don't get how Spots could forgive him so easily." Nick reasoned bitterly.

"Forgiveness is the final form of love." Judy quoted a passage she’d read long ago.

"Life doesn't work like that, Fluff." Nick countered.

"You forgave me under the bridge." Judy pointed out.

"I guess." Nick sighed "I hate it when you're right."

"You must hate me a lot then." Judy sassed. "Look, just give Bogo a chance, mammals can change."

"Ok, ok, you win." Nick conceded.

" _Dispatch to any units in downtown, can someone please respond to a disturbance at number 6 Gully Avenue? Over,"_ Gleeson's voice came out over the cruiser's radio.

"Copy that dispatch, this is Hopps and Wilde, we'll take that disturbance, over." Nick replied through the radio's handset. Judy flicked on the lights and sirens and sped off towards Gully Avenue. However, when the cruiser pulled onto the street, they weren't met with a scene of a crime, but a media circus.

"What in the world?" Judy voiced as she killed the engine.

"Your guess is as good as mine sweetheart." Nick mirrored his partner's confusion.

The two cops got out of the car and walked towards the various news crews huddled outside the trendy townhouse, and on the steps was a figure that made both Judy and Nick's skin crawl; Raymond Bastille. "What the heck is the DA doing here?" Judy pondered out loud.

"Let's find out." Nick said as they made their way past the media.

"Ah, here we have two of Zootopia's finest; Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde." Bastille announced in a loud voice.

"Is there a problem, sir?" Judy asked, trying to remain professional and not let her feelings on the mayoral candidate get in the way.

"There most certainly is; I have a warrant to search this property for fraudulent activity, and I need some fine cops such as yourselves to enact it." Bastille answered theatrically, holding up a warrant for all the TV cameras to see.

Nick took the warrant and looked over it before saying, "It's legit."

"Ok," Judy concurred, but had to ask, "but, what's with the news crews?"

"Oh, I think all of Zootopia needs to see this." Bastile smiled confidently, which in turn made Judy uneasy.

Judy, as the more senior officer, walked up to the door and knocked on it. After a few seconds the door opened to see a bewildered looking female Koala, who seemed scared and confused by the amount of people on her doorstep, "Um, can I help you?" she asked.

"Ma'am, we have a warrant to search your property on suspicion of fraudulent crimes."

"Oh." The Koala didn't seemed that surprised, she just said in a defeated voice, "You’d best come in." Bastille barged by the Koala and opened the door to the living room to reveal twenty or so mammals all sitting on seats, with two mammals standing at a makeshift altar; a male hedgehog in a fine suit and a female mink in a white dress, holding into each other as they looked at the news crews and the police with fear.

"Behold, an illegal inter wedding!" Bastille bellowed to the news crews. Nick and Judy looked at each other with matching worried expressions, both of them wishing they hadn't responded to this disturbance.

"DA Bastille, is it really necessary to have the cameras here?" Nick asked with a critical tone.

"I think it is very necessary, the citizens of Zootopia need to see how these impure inters mock our laws." Bastille answered with spite.

"I'm not going to apologise, there is nothing wrong with what I'm doing." the Koala stated, walking over to the would be bride and groom "If these two mammals want to be married, we should not deny them that right."

"But, it is not their right; you and these two mammals have broken the law and must be held accountable for your crimes." Bastille accused.

"So be it." the Koala said, despite her obvious fear.

"Officer Hopps, take these three away." Batille instructed, the crowd growing loud and anxious.

"No." Judy stated loudly, and suddenly everyone stopped talking.

Judy face was heavy with a frown, Nick noticed her paws clenched and shaking with frustration. Judy's eyes were locked with DA Bastille who was staring back at her with a mix of smugness and contempt, "Officer Hopps, are you refusing to carry out your duty as a ZPD officer?" Bastille accused, loud enough so every journalist could hear.

Judy glanced at the three frightened mammals she was expected to put in handcuffs, and then at back at Nick, who simply nodded at her, as if he knew what she was about to do. Judy leaned her head towards the ZNN microphone and replied defiantly, "I'm not sending these innocent mammals to jail." This was her moment, she was taking a stand.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! What did you guys think?! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review. Next time on Take A Stand Judy and Bastille have a war of words, We learn more about the Khan murder, Judy has a fight with her Mom and Jack's chance of justice is taken from him. Please review and c ya soon.)


	14. A single spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy and Nick take a stand

** Chapter 14- A single spark. **

** **

Judy glanced at the three frightened mammals she was expected to put in handcuffs and then at back at Nick, who simply nodded at her, as if he knew what she was about to do. Judy leaned her head towards the ZNN microphone and replied defiantly, "I'm not sending these innocents mammals to jail." This was her moment, she was taking a stand.

This caused an uproar from the media circus; all of them shouting questions at once like, "Officer Hopps, why are you neglecting your duties?" , "Officer Wilde, are you agreeing with your partner on this?" and, "Hopps, are you a Trevor Moon supporter?"

Bastille's voice then cut through the rabble as he almost snarled, "May I remind you, Hopps, that if you refuse to arrest these suspects, your superiors will have no choice but to suspend you."

"Oh, that's not going to happen." the confident voice of Nick Wilde cut in. Everyone in the room turned to look at Nick, who was typing away at his smartphone.

"And how do you figure that, Officer Wilde?" Bastille parried, crossing his arms.

"Because, there are no laws being broken here," Nick announced with his winning smile. He held up his phone and continued in a suave manner, "all of the city's laws are clearly listed on the local government website for everyone to see, and I see no breach of the law being perpetrated here."

"These three mammals are complicit in holding an illegal interspecies wedding; hence they are breaking the law." Bastille defended his brash actions. All of the journalists, wedding guests and, of course, the bride and groom, were anxious about what was happening.

Nick handed his phone to Judy, who briefly glanced at the screen's contents, and gave a swift smile to Nick and commented, "Thanks, Slick.", before returning her attention back to Bastille, "You know, as the District Attorney of Zootopia, you really should know the laws, especially before issuing a warrant. Because, you see, the only three laws concerning marriage in this jurisdiction are one; both mammals must be over the age of seventeen, two; the person conducting the marriage must have a marriage license and three; falsification of a marriage certificate is illegal."

"Well, this mammal here has no marriage license, so she must be arrested for fraud." Bastille fired back, pointing at the Koala.

"But, the thing is, you only need a marriage license if you are officiating over a legal wedding with actual paperwork." Nick tagged himself in, loving the fact that he was humiliating Bastille very publicly, "And since I see no marriage register around here, I'd say these lovely folks have been very rudely interrupted on their special day, because this is a spiritual wedding. On behalf of the ZPD, I apologise." Nick bowed his head to the hedgehog and mink couple, with Judy following his lead. The couple gratefully smiled at the Officers.

"There is nothing illegal in saying 'I love you' and dedicating your life to the mammal you love most in the world. So, I'm afraid to inform you, DA Bastille, neither Officer Wilde nor I will be arresting these mammals." Judy smirked, and once again all of the news crews erupted with questions and camera flashes.

Bastille didn't know how to react, he had been so sure this would work and Nick could see this confusion in the wolverine's eyes and decided to deliver a final verbal blow, "This is just a theory from a dumb fox, but here it is; young conservative District Attorney is running for mayor,. He's got some good policies for sure, but the one that gets mammals fired up is the ant-inter marriage stance, and everything is going great until Friday, when the city's favourite songstress, Gazelle, comes out as an inter, even proposes to her long term wolf boyfriend. All of a sudden, the poll numbers are getting tighter, so, the DA decides to publicly arrest inters he, incorrectly, assumes are breaking the law, and it probably would've worked but, the thing is, you had two mammals who respect the law respond to the call. The result; bad for you,"

This caused a torrent of laughter from the wedding guests, and a few chortles from the journalists, which catalysed a look of subdued fury from Bastille. "Now, if you don't mind, we must be getting back to work." Judy announced, before walking down the small makeshift wedding aisle with Nick beside her, giving a fist bump to his sly bunny in celebration.

Bastille had reached his breaking point and snapped, "Officer Hopps, as a wholesome Bunny Burrow girl, what must your parents think of you supporting the impure interspecies couples who defy the rules?"

Judy stopped in her tracks, her ears shot up, and her fur stood on end, "Impure?" Judy repeated. She despised that word; there was nothing impure about love between two mammals. Judy turned around to face Bastille once more, and replied with strength "My parents are good mammals, always taught me to treat others with respect and obey the law of the land…but rules, well, my parents’ say, 'Some rules were made to be broken.'" A spark of anger mixed with passion ignited a fire in Judy's heart, and her emotions controlled her actions; she grabbed Nick by his tie, dragged him down and delivered a kiss charged with emotion. Nick's eyes went wide with shock, at first, but then he succumbed to the kiss, because it just felt so right. Judy ended the kiss and delivered a bonus peck on Nick's nose before turning to Bastille and adding, "I am not impure and neither is Nick; we love each other, and if you can't deal with that, then I truly feel sorry for you."

Nick smiled softly at his courageous love and offered his paw, which Judy gratefully accepted. The couple then walked out of the makeshift chapel, hand in hand, to a myriad of questions from the media, which they both chose to ignore. They walked out of the house, hopped back into the police cruiser, and drove off.

The pair drove in silence for about three minutes, until Judy unexpectedly turned into a multi-storey parking lot. Nick didn't question her, because had a feeling what was coming next. Judy got to the third level of the lot before pulling into a space and screaming at the top of her lungs, "OH, SWEET CHEESE AND CRACKERS!"

"Easy there on the eardrums, Fluff." Nick winced, covering his ears too late.

"What did I just do?!" Judy yelped, pulling at her ears.

"You did what you thought was right." Nick told her truthfully, gently rubbing the top of Judy's head.

"We humiliated the district attorney in front of TV cameras, I dragged you into a kiss, now the entire ZPD knows we're together, and even worse…my parents." Judy whined, before knocking her head against the steering wheel.

"Judy," Nick spoke with a comforting tone. The mere sound of Nick calling her by her real name stirred the bunny, "every day, I am proud to call myself your boyfriend but, I have never been more proud than I am right now…to be blunt; you kicked ass back there."

"Really?" Judy asked, still a little nervous, but letting the shyness from Nick's praise sneak in too.

"Carrots, you were so brave back at the house. I wouldn't have said anything if you hadn't said 'no' first. You, Judith Laverne Hopps, are my hero." Nick professed as he leaned over and placed one paw on Judy's cheek and kissed her tenderly.

After the kiss ended, Judy unclipped her seatbelt and shuffled over onto Nick's lap so the two could treasure the sensation of hugging each other, "So, what now?" Judy asked, unconsciously marking Nick with the scent glands in her cheeks.

"We do our job, go back to the precinct, and face the music." Nick laid out, wrapping his tail over his sly bunny.

000

Judy and Nick could feel multiple eyes on them as they walked through the lobby of Precinct 1 and were disheartened to see so few friendly faces around. They were making their way to the office area when Gleeson called out, "Nick, Judy." The two looked to the reception desk to see the sympathetic ram beckoning them over with a hoof.

The partners walked over to the ram, with Nick saying, "Hey Frank."

"I guess congratulations are in order." Gleeson offered a smile, "I hope you two will be happy together."

"Thanks, Gleeson, but judging from the way mammals are staring at us, I don't think they are going to be as nice as you." Judy commented in a wounded tone.

"Look, Hopps, take it from an old school cop; the hate will pass. I've been on the force long enough to see these so called 'Big Changes' come and go. When predators were first hired as cops, everyone was against it, now no one bats an eye. Same with the first gay cops and with the first bunny and fox cops. They'll accept it; you just got to weather the storm." Gleeson advised.

Judy took heart from the words; she jumped onto the desk and gave the kind ram a hug, "Thank you."

"Anytime, you'll always have an ally in me, plus Benny and Nala aren't going to turn their backs on ya'." Gleeson encouraged "Oh, and I know this is a bit obvious but, the chief wants to see the two of you immediately."

"Out of the frying pan," Nick groaned.

Within a minute the duo was outside Bogo's door. Judy took a deep breath before knocking, causing an instant, "Come in." from Bogo. The Chief was behind his desk, typing away at his computer with his reading glasses on and barely acknowledging Nick and Judy as they came in, "Take a seat, I just need to send this email."

The partners sat down and waited for Bogo to finish, the typing of the keyboard was a soundtrack to their anxiety. When Bogo was finished, he took off his glasses, let out a sigh, and then said bluntly, "You two just caused the mother of all shit storms."

"Sir, if I could-" Judy began to explain.

"Within seconds of you two publically ridiculing the District Attorney, all of my superiors were ringing me. Then, to top it all off, you two kissed on camera for the whole world to see." Bogo recalled in an annoyed tone. "They are calling for you two to resign."

"But-" Nick was about to protest.

Bogo held up a hoof to silence the fox before continuing, "But, I told them that would be unjust."

"Sir?" Judy murmured with a quizzical look.

"Nothing you did this afternoon justifies you two resigning; you observed that no law had been broken and stood up to an elected official who had abused their power. However, you pair could've been more subtle with your words." Bogo carried on.

"What can I say, Chief? I have the gift of the gab." Nick grinned.

"Can it Wilde!" Bogo bellowed "Now, back to the matter at hand; you two will not be punished for your choice words with DA Bastille, however, there is another issue; your relationship."

"Figures," Judy sighed.

"Now, I need you two to be honest with me; was that kiss a stunt, or are you two in a relationship?" Bogo questioned.

Nick offered his paw to Judy, who took hold of it in a heartbeat, "It wasn't a stunt, we're a couple." Judy replied.

Bogo let out a snorting grunt before saying, "You know the rules; partners can't be romantically involved with one another. If this was any other occasion, I'd be forced to split you up and assign you different partners. Lucky for you two, you may have a chance to stick together."

"How?" Nick asked, arching a brow.

"The decision has been taken from me. Commissioner Bagheera and the other top brass have a meeting scheduled for Friday, when they'll decide on your partnership. They figure if we split you right now, the media will label the ZPD as ‘prejudiced against inters’." Bogo clarified.

"So, in other words, they want to stop this shit storm from getting any bigger?" Nick guessed.

"Exactly. Now that this has been taken care of, may I say congratulations to you two, you look great together." The chief said in a friendlier tone. "Now, I suggest you two get back to patrolling downtown and avoid the precinct, Bastille will be here soon."

"Thank you, sir." Judy replied with relief in her voice.

"I knew you were a big softie underneath all that muscle, Chief." Nick smirked as he got down off his chair.

"Watch it, Wilde, one more word from you and I'll have you on parking duty for the next month!" Bogo warned, going back to his default grumpiness.

000

Raymond Bastille had a pulsing headache as he walked towards the interrogation rooms of Precinct 1. His campaign team's plan to boost his poll numbers through the marriage raid had gone catastrophically wrong. He knew that the suspects would never go to trial, it was just supposed to be a show of action, but he hadn't banked on Judy and Nick defying him, making a fool of him and then revealing themselves as an inter couple. He walked by the framed photos of all the ZPD officers of Precinct 1, with the two smallest cops, Hopps and Wilde, at the front and centre. "Filthy inters." He said, under his breath, before continuing down the hallway. The assistant DA, a female reindeer by the name of Gwen, was waiting for him outside the interrogation room. "Please, tell me you've got some good news." Bastille said, staring up at the larger mammal.

"We're in luck; this guy is willing to snitch on Rattigan about his underground fighting racket and his drug pushing." Gwen gave a satisfied smile.

"You're kidding me?" Bastille replied. He couldn't believe his luck, "What does his lawyer want in return?"

"That's the beauty of it, he doesn't want one. This deer is a nervous paranoid wreck, he doesn't trust anyone, especially lawyers, and he thinks Rattigan will get to them." Gwen explained "Oh, there is one thing he wants; an extra large veggie supreme pizza. I took the liberty of ordering it, should be here in ten minutes."

This was it, this was Bastille's chance to recover some poll numbers. If he could bring down one of the biggest crime lords in the city, this election was in the bag "Ok, we play this with a sympathetic angle; we offer him a cushy cell in a nice prison far from Zootopia and Rattigan. If we can prove Sher Kahn's death was due to a fight, we can get the murder charge down to mammalslaughter with an easy seven year sentence, and if he still doesn't feel safe, we'll offer him witness protection." Bastille laid out his game plan.

"Let's do this." Gwen agreed, before opening the door and walking into the interrogation room with Bastille following behind. Bambi Prince looked like a mess. He sat at the table in the centre of the room. He had the shakes from drug withdrawal and his eyes were horribly bloodshot. Looking at him now, no one would guess he was a feared boxer.

"Mr. Prince, I'm Raymond Bastille, the district attorney. I believe you have already met my colleague, Gwen Blake." Bastille greeted as he sat down opposite Bambi.

"Ain't you that guy that's running for mayor?" Bambi asked, his voice dry and raspy.

"Yes, I am, but I'm still DA of this city until I'm elected," Bastille replied, sounding sure of himself once more, "and I intend to bring Rattigan down while I still can."

"That’s easier said than done." Bambi worried out loud.

"The only way can get it done, Bambi, is if you testify against him." Gwen egged on, whilst setting the camcorder in the room to record.

"Please, tell us in your own words, how the altercation with Sher Kahn came to pass." Bastille instructed in a calm voice.

"I'm on that new juice; Morrigan. It works wonders but, man, is it addictive…and expensive." Bambi began with a sombre tone, "I needed money, and everyone knows that the underground circuit is an easy place to make money. I asked a dealer to get me into the fight; I was blindfolded and brought before the professor himself."

"You spoke with Rattigan?" Bastille wanted confirmation.

"Yeah, he said if I would be his prize fighter, I would have money and all the Morrigan I could want." Bambi recalled bitterly, "I should've walked away."

"So, what happened next?" Bastille asked, eager for pay dirt.

"I was blindfolded again and driven to some place; I think it was in the Rainforest District." Bambi carried on, "Rattigan's top enforcer, Felicia, fed me four tabs of Morrigan to get fired up for the fight. I was brought into a cage with dozens of rich types cheering as I entered the ring. That's when Khan came in on the other side of the cage. Everyone knew who Khan was, and how damn ferocious he was. The fight began, and it all became a blur. We got to the fourth round, and we were both bloody and battered, and that's when he started trying to bite me with his fangs. I let my instinct take over; I bowed my head and charged, then…."

"Bambi, we need you to say it." Gwen urged.

"My antlers…they pierced his chest. He roared and thrashed around for a few seconds, but then he went limp." Bambi told with sorrow, tears running down his face. "I killed him."

"I know it's hard, but can you tell us what happened next?" Bastille asked, trying his best to sound sympathetic.

"The crowd cheered, I just killed someone and they cheered like it was the greatest thing they had ever seen. When I was in the locker room after the fight, Rattigan and Felicia came to me, handed me ten thousand dollars, a bag of Morrigan and a five grand bonus for making the fight so entertaining. After that, I was blindfolded again and driven home." Bambi wept, his hooves shaking.

Bastille let out a loud sigh, then informed, "Mr Prince, I'm sorry, but that isn't going to hold up in court."

"W-what?! Why not?" Bambi panicked.

"All you've got is hearsay; you don't know where the fight took place, so we can't raid it for evidence. And without evidence, we can't arrest Rattigan." Bastille explained.

"But, I do have evidence!" Bambi protested.

"You do?" Bastille asked, his voice full of doubt.

"I recorded all of my conversations as insurance." Bambi revealed, "I stored them on a cloud drive as sound files."

Bastille's face went from a frown to joy within a second, "We need those files. With those files and your testimony, we can bring Rattigan down." Bastille said eagerly.

"I'll give you the password to my account once I sign the plea deal." Bambi gave his conditions.

"You got it." Bastille grinned in victory; looks like this day wouldn't be such a disaster after all.

KNOCK KNOCK! Gwen went over and opened the door to find a cop with a pizza box waiting "Oh, thank you," she thanked before strolling over to the table and putting the box in front of Bambi, "Here you go; one extra large veggie supreme."

"Thanks, the food they got in the holding cells suck." Bambi thanked, opening the box and grabbing a slice and taking a bite.

"Ok, Mr Prince, we'll draw up a plea deal by the end of the day for you to sign." Bastille said, getting out his phone and texting his underlings at the office to get started on writing the document.

"Sound goo-" Bambi started to say, but then coughed up blood all over the pizza.

"Bambi, are you ok?" Gwen asked with worry.

Bambi then fell to the floor and spewed up a massive amount of blood. Bastille looked at the pizza and realised out loud, "Poison." before running to the door, opening it, and yelling, "Someone, call an ambulance!" He looked back at the dying deer and realised his one chance to bring down Rattigan was dying too.

000

Judy and Nick's shift had ended without incident, although both of them were horrified to learn that Bambi Prince had been killed in the interrogation room. As the pair made their way home, Nick got multiple encouraging texts from Nala, Clawhauser, Finnick, Jack and Skye about their very public reveal of their relationship. Judy hadn't dared look at her phone since her run in with Bastille, but she had felt it vibrate with messages constantly all through the afternoon. Nick unlocked the door to their apartment and noticed a red slip of paper on the wood floor; he picked it up and huffed, "Damn."

"What's wrong?" Judy asked, unclipping her ballistic vest and putting her phone on the kitchen table.

"I missed a package from the post office; it's a flat pack wardrobe for Luna's room." Nick answered, looking at the clock on his phone, "Listen, I'm going to run to the post office and pick it up before it closes."

"Ok, I'm going to go jump in the shower." Judy replied, standing on her tip toes to kiss Nick on the cheek before heading towards the bathroom.

"I'll be back soon, Fluff." Nick called out as he left the apartment and closed the door.

Ten minutes later, Judy had showered and gotten changed into some more comfortable clothes. She strolled into the open plan living room / kitchen and went over to the fridge. It was Judy's turn to cook dinner, and she was trying to decide what to cook, when she heard the annoying buzz of her phone vibrating. She turned around to see her phone's screen lit up on the table, with a picture of Bonnie and Stu Hopps hugging and smiling, with the words 'Mom & Dad' above the picture. Judy let out a very loud groan; the logical part of her brain told her to answer the phone and get it over with, but she couldn't shake off her apprehension so easily. It took her a few seconds to pluck up her courage, but she eventually scooped up the phone and swiped it to answer the 'Muzzletime' call. Stu Hopps’ face filled the screen; he was wearing an awkward smile as he greeted,  _"Hey, Jude the Dude."_

"Hi, Dad," Judy matched her father's awkward smile, at least he wasn't shouting at her.

 _"Sooo…We saw the news."_  Stu cut to the chase.

"Yeah, I figured that's why you'd be calling." Judy responded, her ears going droopy.

 _"So, you and your partner, you really are a couple?"_  Stu inquired, scratching the back of his head.

Judy read her dad's facial expressions and commented, "You don't seem that surprised."

 _"Honestly; I had my suspicions for a while that you liked Nick. The amount you always talk about him, and you always seemed to finish it with your old boyfriends the moment it started getting serious."_  Stu told.

"So, what do you think?" Judy asked the million dollar question.

 _"Listen, Judy, you're a grown doe. This isn't like some silly schoolyard crush. You and Nick are both adults and, if you want to be together, no one can stop you."_  Stu assured  _"Do I understand it? No, not completely, but if Nick makes you happy, then I can't complain. I'd rather see you together with Nick and happy, than being alone and miserable."_

"Thanks Dad." Judy replied with a hearty smile, but then twigged, "Wait, where's Mom?"

 _"Well you see…"_  Stu mumbled.

 _"Is that her?!"_  Bonnie Hopps voice shrilled from off screen.

 _"Now, Bonnie, calm down."_  Stu tried to defuse.

 _"Give me that phone!"_  Bonnie barked, forcibly snatching the phone from her husband.

Judy saw the wrath on her mother's usually kind face and she felt like she was little kit again, "Hey Mom." Judy opened.

 _"What in the world are you playing at Judy Hopps?"_  Bonnie stressed.

"I take it that you don't agree with me and Nick being together." Judy stated the obvious.

 _"Don't you smart mouth me, girl!"_  Bonnie dictated.

"Mom, if you could just let me ex-" Judy tried to reason.

 _"You didn't even have the decency to tell us face to face that you were a damn inter, we had to find out on TV._ " Bonnie shouted.

"Ok, that was my bad, but I couldn't stand Bastille calling Inters impure." Judy justified.

 _"The truth hurts, doesn't it?"_  Bonnie attacked.

That sentence caused Judy's heart to ache; tears broke free from her amethyst eyes and she said through gritted teeth, "You take that back."

 _"What, that you and your fox are impure? You are Judy, and so is that god damn fox."_  Bonnie assaulted with words.

"His name is Nick!" Judy snapped, putting her paw to her chest, "And we love each other!"

 _"What you have isn't love, it's a perversion."_  Bonnie scoffed.

"How dare you!" Judy yelled.

 _"Now you listen here; end this sordid little tryst you got going on with this fox and we can go back to normal."_  Bonnie threatened.

"Little tryst? Do you know we risked our careers today at that house? We have a home together and we want to build a life together." Judy defended herself and Nick.

 _"You live together?!"_  Bonnie shrieked,  _"You two haven't…you know."_

Judy saw the disgust on her Mom's face and in turn was repulsed. She was angry now, and she wanted to hurt her mom, "What? Slept together? Copulated? Fornicated? Mated? Had passionate sex? You bet we have, and let me tell you, he's better than any buck rabbit I've ever been with!" Judy spat.

Bonnie let out a loud gasp before saying,  _"If you don't apologise and finish it with that fox, I swear that you will NEVER step foot on the family farm again!"_

Judy weighed the threat in her head; she loved Bunny Burrow, she loved her family (well, most of them), and the thought of never going home terrified her, but she couldn't live a lie. **_"Go to hell, Mom!"_** she wailed, before ending the phone call. She clutched the phone to her chest and began to sob. She went over to the sofa and crashed upon it in a crying mess.

A few minutes later, Nick walked through the front door carrying the flat pack package, "I just made it, the post office was just about to close." Nick said, before noticing Judy crying and curled up on the sofa, "Carrots?" Nick fretted, dropping the package and rushing over to his weeping bunny.

"I hate her, Nick! I hate her!" Judy seethed, tears stinging her eyes.

"Hey, hey," Nick soothed, wrapping the sad bun in a hug, "I'm here, now start from the top."

000

Seven a.m. was way too early to start work, in Jack Savage's eyes; he looked over at his slobbish fellow agent Guy Nottingham and was sure the tired looking wolf would be in agreement with him. "Why's Winter got us up so early, Jack?" Nottingham yawned as the two MCB agents stood outside Precinct 1.

"She says she wants us to greet Director Flynn and give him the tour of the operation." Jack informed, while sipping coffee.

"What operation? We're basically on a wild goose chase for the Merry Mammals." Nottingham complained.

"You're preaching to the choir." Jack agreed.

Suddenly, Skye appeared from the door of the precinct, walked over to her subordinates and asked in a nervous manner, "Hey, where's Perry?"

"He's not here yet." Jack answered, smiling slightly due to the fact that Skye looked adorable when she was nervous.

"But, it's 7a.m. exactly. Agent P is never late." Skye worried.

"Agent P?" a smooth voice chuckled. All three MCB agents turned to see a platypus in a brown suit and fedora walking up to them, "I thought I shook off that name."

"G-good morning, sir," Skye stammered.

"And good morning to you, Winter, Savage, Nottingham." Perry replied concisely.

"Nice to see you again, sir," Jack said with ease. It was rare to be eye level with another person in the bureau.

"Is it now?" Perry queried "Because if I was meeting the director of the MCB and had only shown incompetence for the last week, I'd hardly describe it as 'nice'."

"Sir, you must realise that the M.M gang are master criminals, and have nearly three decades experience under their belts." Skye pleaded her case.

"You've been tricked by silly disguises, red herrings and theatrics." Perry shot down. "I would never be fooled so easily."

"Famous last words," Nottingham sniggered.

"Watch it, Nottingham." Perry warned "The only reason you three are here is because of your good track records, I'd advise you not to sully it."

"Betcha' you be duped by the one of the M.M's disguises." Nottingham dared.

"Guy, shut up!" Jack hissed, elbowing the fat wolf in the belly.

"No, no." Perry smiled, "I'm a sporting mammal, how much do you wager, Nottingham?"

"A hundred bucks," Nottingham grinned, extending his paw.

"May the best mammal win," Perry stated, shaking the much larger mammal's paw.

Jack shook his head at his fellow agent's stupidity, and was about to comment, when he saw a familiar figure walking out of the precinct beside a grizzly bear in a tacky purple suit and glasses; it was Thumper. "You’ve got to be shitting me!" Jack swore, dropping his cup of coffee before running over.

"What the?" Perry sounded as the buck ran off.

"Oh no," Skye said, racing after her boyfriend.

"You!" Jack hollered, making a bee line for Thumper.

Nottingham saw where this was headed and stopped Jack from doing something he'd regret; he held the striped rabbit back, "Jack, cool your jets!" Nottingham instructed.

"He killed my family!" Jack chided, struggling against the wolf's grip.

"Allegedly," Thumper smirked.

"Sam Edwards' bail has been posted." the grizzly bear informed, sounding snooty.

"Who the hell is Sam Edwards?" Jack asked bitterly.

"It's my real name. What, you think my mom christened me ‘Thumper’?" Thumper laughed.

"Did your Mom know that you killed innocent mammals in that fire?!" Jack accused.

"Jack, take it easy, he's still going to trial." Skye comforted her long time love.

"Agent Savage, you will cease this unbecoming behaviour at once!" Perry commanded.

Jack reluctantly obeyed and stopped struggling against Nottingham's grip, "Yes sir." he muttered.

Perry then walked over to the grizzly bear lawyer, "May I offer my apologies on behalf of the MCB, Mr.?" he said professionally.

"Reginald Chutney, attorney at law." the bear introduced himself, fixing his glasses, "And I'd like you to remind your agents that mammals are innocent until proven guilty."

"Of course, Mr. Chutney, I will. Have a good day now." Perry eased.

Thumper and Reginald walked over to a parked white limo. The bear opened the door for the rabbit and the pair of them got in. "Gotta say, the boss has style, even when she's getting her boys outta the clink." Thumper bragged, lounging back in the lush limo.

The limo pulled out from the entrance of the precinct and Reginald replied, "What makes you think Madame Misdadd sent us?"

"Huh?" Thumper sounded, but before the rabbit could say another word, a tranq arrow pierced his shoulder. The rabbit had been sure he was safe, but he didn't notice the hooded fox in the limo with him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! Robin Hood and Little John have snatched Thumper, but why? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Next time on Take a Stand; Robin has a little 'Chat' with Thumper, we learn why Jack's home was set aflame and Luna spends her first night at Nick and Judy's. Please Review and C YA Soon!)


	15. Buttercups and sunflowers

** Chapter 15- Buttercups and Sunflowers **

Thumper felt nauseous the moment he woke up and, as soon as he opened his eyes, he was overcome with fear. He was hanging upside down from his ankles by a chain, with his arms restrained behind his back and shirtless. He started hyperventilating as he took in his surroundings; he was in what looked to be in a dimly lit auto shop with greasy tools, engine parts and a few motorcycles and cars dotted around. Thumper tried in vain against the binds around his wrists, all to the sound of his panicked, heavy breathing, "You're wasting your energy." A voice echoed through the room in an English accent.

"You are making a big mistake, do you know who I am?!" Thumper blustered, trying to sound intimidating, but just coming off as scared.

"Oh, we know exactly who you are." Another voice came from the shadows; this one was deep and sounded local.

"I tell you what; you let me go now, we can forget this whole thing ever even happened." Thumper bargained.

"Oh, if I had a dollar for every time someone said that to me," Robin chuckled, stepping out of the shadows in full costume, twirling an arrow in his paw, "I'd be a millionaire."

"Shit." Thumper cursed, laying eyes on the infamous outlaw.

"Yeah, and you're deep in it." Little John added, emerging from the darkness to join his friend. The grizzly bear was dressed in black combat pants and green camo body armour.

"You know, it's funny; I mean, foxes are supposed to be experts at catching rabbits, but that was way too easy." Robin joked, walking closer to the ensnared killer.

"Kiss my ass, you filthy fox!" Thumper griped.

"Stick and stones." Robin brushed off.

"Now, you're an outlaw like us, you know what happens next, right?" Little John coaxed.

"You expect me to flip on Misdadd?" Thumper scoffed.

"That is exactly what you're going to do Sam, or do you prefer Thumper?" Little John threw back.

"You know how I got that name? By thumping anybody who crossed my path!" Thumper weakly threatened.

"Ooh," Robin pretended to shiver, "I'm so scared!"

"Screw you!" Thumper raged, before hocking a spit at Robin, which the fox easily sidestepped to avoid.

"How rude," Robin laughed "and here I was planning to go easy on you…oh, who am I kidding? I was never going to go easy on you." Robin then swiftly swiped the razor sharp arrow head across Thumper's cheek, causing a hiss of pain from the arsonist and letting the blood drip from his fresh wound to the cold concrete below.

"Thumper, do you know the definition of regret?" Little John asked, purposely spinning the chain Thumper was hanging from, "It is to feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over something that one has done, or failed to do."

"I'm a gangster; spilt blood comes with the job." Thumper deflected, while spinning around.

"Sure, one expects confrontation when dealing with fellow miscreants, but what about innocents?" Robin interrogated, "When you and Flower torched that building, all those years ago, it killed twenty two mammals, twelve of them from the Savage family. Do you know your victims' names? Do you see them when you close your eyes?"

"Do I look like I give a shit?" Thumper deflected.

"I remember them. Before I left Zootopia, I knew most of the folks who lived in Sherwood." Robin said in a judging voice, "Chris Vicar was a bear who was the local handyman, Amanda Sneek, a weasel with a heart of gold, Lux McRae was a lynx who volunteered at the homeless shelter, a young coyote by the name of Felix Chandler wanted to be an Olympian, Jorden Nutson was the squirrel who taught my son in first grade, Eli Valtus, Vince Fleet all of them are gone because of you and Flower."

"Maybe they should've run out of the building quicker." Thumper mocked.

Robin suppressed the urge to stab the arrow into Thumper's eye and carried on, "Now, let me just ignore the fact that I despise you and allow me to ask the obvious question; why?"

"I didn't tell Bastille, and I'm not telling you either." Thumper smirked, whose chain had stopped spinning.

"Ok, then," Robin sighed, before turning to Little John, "Johnny old boy why don't you start?"

"With pleasure," the bear replied, going over to the line of small mammal sized motorcycles and picking one up like a toy. He turned the ignition and revved it so the back wheel spun.

"You ain't got the balls!" Thumper accused.

Little John reacted by revving the small bike to top speed and applying it to the killer's gut, Thumper wailed out in pain as the burning rubber tore through his fur and flesh. The black of the tyre was now matted with his fur and slick with blood. John pulled back before the tyre went too deep. Thumper was still crying with pain, but a lot more quietly, "Now, for the face." Robin suggested threateningly.

"No!" Thumper blasted, his voice heavy with pain and fear.

"So, tell us why you burned down that building." Little John pressured, revving the small motorcycle to provoke terror.

"Fine…damn it." Thumper gave in, his voice strained, "Madame Misdaad was just made boss of the family, her old man, Abrafo Misdaad, kicked the bucket a week previous, and she had plans for Sherwood. She got us to burn down three buildings within a week; a bakery, an abandoned theatre and the apartment building."

"She wanted to buy the land cheap, so she got you and Flower to set fire to those places." Little John theorized.

"Yeah," Thumper confirmed, looking at the bloodied wheel of the motorcycle and feeling weak.

"Why?" Robin pressed.

"She wanted something, something buried under Sherwood." Thumper unveiled.

"What was it?" Robin followed up.

"I don't know, I swear. She only gave that info to her capos!" Thumper pleaded.

Little John and Robin looked at each other and nodded; the murderer was telling the truth. Misdadd had given the order, she was the reason twenty two mammals had perished so horrifically. Robin could feel the hatred rising in him, but pushed it back down, he needed to keep his head straight for the next line of questions. "Congratulations, Thumper, you made it to round two." Robin announced, wiping the blood off the arrow head onto Thumper's jeans. "Now, the next question is easy; why did Misdadd and Rattigan want Bianca and Bernard Gabor's swampland?"

Thumper didn't seem too stressed by that question and hastily answered, "I heard one of the boys say that there is something legal on that land that ain't legal in Zootopia."

"Like what?" Little John questioned, dropping the improvised motorcycle torture device.

"You think they'd tell me? Everyone gets tetchy when Bu…" Thumper began to spill, but then shut his mouth when he realised he was about to say something that could get him killed.

Robin noticed this and called out, "Bu? Come on Thumper, tell us, or we'll have to get a little more 'persuasive' again."

"No, they'll kill me!" Thumper bawled, scared of the outlaws and his employers.

Robin's eyes narrowed as he swiftly retrieved his bow from the holster on his back and fired an arrow into Thumper's left knee cap "ARRRGH! SHIT!" Thumper cried in searing pain.

"Now, finish your sentence before I put an arrow in your other knee." Robin threatened, pulling a fresh arrow from the quiver strapped to his back.

"You son of a bitch! My god damn knee!" Thumper crowed.

"Last chance," Robin warned, drawing his bow.

"Buttercup!" Thumper grassed, "Everyone's scared of Buttercup!"

"Who the hell is Buttercup?" Little John asked, sounding flummoxed.

"Oh god, this hurts…." Thumper whimpered.

"Answer us!" Robin barked.

"Y-you think Misdadd and Rattigan had the pull to become the only d…drug empire in the city? The only crime family that is left are the Bigs." Thumper informed, his voice shaky from the pain, "Buttercup is the third player. This mammal deals in secrets; they have enough dirt to bury most officials in the city."

"What species is this mammal?" Robin piled on.

"No one knows, only the bosses have met Buttercup and, even then, it's only via webcam." Thumper breathed. "That's all I know! Please let me go!"

"Oh, we'll let you go, just not yet," Little John said, bitterly sending a powerful kick to the rabbit's face, rendering him unconscious. "So, what now, Rob?"

Robin put his hood down and put the arrow back in its quiver before answering, "We’ve got three tasks; go to the swamp and find what's there, find out what's under Sherwood, and get an ID on this Buttercup character."

"I hate to say it, but this is just too much for two guys," Little John sighed, "we're going to need an old friend's help."

"I suppose we can get Tuck to look into the Sherwood thing." Robin assumed.

"I wasn't talking about Tuck." Little John replied

Robin's ears went flat before saying, "No."

"Look, we need a way to find Buttercup and we need the best hacker in the city to help us." Little John wore down.

Robin took a look at the gold wedding band on his left paw and mumbled, "Looks like we don't have a choice."

000

Judy had been in a foul mood since she got up on this Tuesday morning. The memory of the fight with her mother was weighing heavy on her mind. And despite being plagued by the fear of being exiled from the Hopps family farm, she was determined not to back down on this. Her mother would have to apologise first and, more importantly, mean it. Judy tried to focus on something more positive, like the fact that Luna was going to spending her first night at her and Nick's apartment tomorrow. Judy actually felt quite giddy about it; she came from a big family and, with so many younger siblings, she missed having kids in her life, only this time she wouldn't be a big sister, she'd be a stepmom.

When roll call came, Bogo informed everyone that half of the cops would be having their annual medical today and Judy was one of them. Nick assured his sly bunny that he'd crack on with the seemingly never ending pile of paperwork while she had her medical.

Nick was an hour into his paperwork when he decided he needed his caffeine fix; he was pouring himself a cup of joe at the coffee station in the office when an enthusiastic voice called out, "There he is; my new hero."

Nick turned to see Nala and Clawhauswer strolling towards him, "Huh?" was all Nick could say.

"You tore apart Bastille yesterday," Nala laughed, slapping the Fox on the back "there's no way he can beat Moon now."

"Thanks, Rocky, but Carrots was the brave one." Nick pointed out.

"You both were brave," Clawhauser complimented, "so, are you guys going to get split up? Mason says it's your choice to tell me."

"We don't know. Commissioner Bagheera and some other head honchos are going to have the final verdict." Nick explained.

"On the up side, though, your relationship is no longer in the dark." Nala tried to show the bright side.

"Yeah, well, Judy's Mom doesn't see it that way." Nick commented, taking a sip of coffee.

"She didn't take the news well?" Clawhauser guessed, taking a donut from the communal box.

"Judy's really messed up about it. It's like her anger and sadness had a baby." Nick described.

"Hey, I know what'll cheer her up; you two should come to the barbeque me and Simba are throwing on Saturday." Nala suggested, "Everyone's coming; Ben and the chief, Basil and David. Hey, why don't you bring Luna?"

"That sounds great; Judy and Luna would love that." Nick smiled

All of sudden the door of the offices opened, and Skye entered while asking, "Is Judy around?"

"She's having her medical, why what's up?" Nick wondered.

"Director Flynn wants to talk about her run in with the Hood." Skye answered.

"Hey, Skye, are you and Jack doing anything Saturday?" Nala asked with a smile.

"No, why?" Skye asked back.

"There's a barbeque at my place; bug burgers, beers and banter, what more could you want?" the Lioness grinned down at the arctic vixen.

"I'd like that." Skye smiled for the first time since Agent P arrived. It was rare that Jack and Skye were invited anywhere as a couple; not many mammals wanted to be seen with inters.

Then the door slammed open and Judy came in with a grumpy expression on her face. She marched up to Nick and put her head on his chest. Everyone exchanged awkward glances before Nick asked, "How'd the medical go?"

She grumbled something that was muffled by her face being buried in Nick's torso, causing Clawhauser to query, "Come again?"

Judy removed herself from Nick's chest and huffed, "That stupid doctor says I have bad eyesight. I eat carrots, like, all the time, how can my eyes be defective?"

"So, he failed you?" Nala asked, finding Judy's grumpy face amusing.

"He says I'm unfit to drive the cruiser, nor do I have decent aim with my tranq pistol; he says I'm short sighted. So, I have to get glasses." Judy explained with a guarded manner, tapping her foot on the floor with frustration.

"So? What's wrong with glasses?" Skye asked, puzzled by the fuss Judy was making.

"Yeah, Mason has to wear glasses for reading." Clawhauser consoled, chewing on a jam donut.

"It's just, all through school I was called a nerd," Judy griped, "I don't want to look like one."

"Then get contacts." Nala suggested.

Judy shuddered before replying, "Ugh, the thought of those things on my eyeballs makes me want to hurl."

"Carrots, glasses won't make you look nerdy, you'll look…" Nick started.

"I swear, if you say cute, I'll kick your butt." Judy cut in.

"Actually, I was going to say sexy." Nick smiled devilishly.

Judy's ears shot up and the skin of them went pink instantly, "Stop it." she said shyly, shoving Nick playfully.

"Aww your ears go pink, too. Jack is so adorable when he's embarrassed." Skye laughed.

"Speaking of Skippy, where is he? I haven't seen him this morning." Nick asked.

Skye's smile faded before telling, "Director Flynn has got him on office duty after what happened with Thumper this morning."

"Why? What happened?" Judy enquired.

"Someone posted Thumper's bail." Skye revealed, sounding sad.

"What? That was a hundred grand bail; must've been Misdadd." Nick guessed, taking a swing of coffee.

"I guess so; some lawyer called Reginald Chutney came in a limo to collect him." Skye recalled.

Nick choked on his coffee before spluttering, "D-did you say Reginald Chutney?!"

"Uh, yeah," Skye answered, confused by Nick's outburst.

"Shit, not again." Nick swore before setting his coffee cup down and dashing out of the room with Judy and Skye following him, leaving behind a bewildered Nala and Clawhauser.

Two minutes later, the trio entered the smaller office that the MCB had made their temporary base. Perry gave a quizzical look as Nick stormed into the room. He was about to ask the meaning of his visit, when Nick asked in a loud voice, "Who let Thumper waltz on out of here?"

"Nick!" Judy and Skye cautioned in unison.

"Wilde, what's this all about?" Nottingham asked, getting up from his desk with a pissed off looking Jack rising from his seat as well.

"Sam Edwards is out on bail. I trust you're angry about this fact as well?" Perry said in a commanding voice.

"Oh, I am, but that isn't what's got me riled up." Nick answered bitterly, stepping over to the platypus.

"Please enlighten us, Officer?" Perry requested.

"Wilde, Nick Wilde. You must be Director Flynn." Nick stated.

"Correct." Perry confirmed.

"I heard you're quite meticulous and go over case files with a fine tooth comb, so you're read in on all the intel on the M.M gang?" Nick continued.

"Also correct," Perry replied.

"Then why the hell did you let Little John walk out of here?" Nick accused.

"Excuse me?" Perry scoffed.

"Reginald Chutney; does that name ring a bell?" Nick snapped.

Jack's ears sprung up as he whispered "Oh, no."

Nottingham face palmed himself and groaned with realisation "You got to be kidding me."

"I don't understand." Perry said, confused.

"Let me guess what this Chutney character looked like; a grizzly bear in a crappy suit and a posh voice. It's one of Little John's oldest personas!" Nick growled with anger.

Perry's eyes went wide and he whispered "Oh, god."

"Are you saying the M.M gang has Thumper?" Judy asked.

"Exactly, they must want information from him on Madame Misdadd." Nick answered, sounding frustrated.

"I was so focused on Thumper, I didn't even realise." Jack ridiculed himself.

"You're not the only one." Skye empathised.

Nottingham let out a loud grunt and sat back down at his desk and started typing away at his desktop, "I'll pull up the security footage to get a license plate on the limo." he informed.

Perry walked over to Nottingham's desk, got out his wallet, and placed a hundred dollar bill beside his keyboard, "A bet's a bet." he said to the wolf.

"Much obliged, boss." Nottingham acknowledged before continuing to retrieve the CCTV footage, "Got it."

Everyone crowded around Nottingham's computer as he played the footage from earlier that morning. Thumper and 'Chutney' got into a white limo with a licence plate that clearly said '29THD03', "Guys, can you run that plate through your system?" Skye asked.

"There's no need, we know who owns that car. That plate number is burned into my memory." Judy sighed.

"Who?" Jack asked eagerly.

"It belongs to a limo rental service owned by Mr Big." Nick remembered.

"Big? The mobster who runs Tundra Town?" Perry wanted conformation.

"The very same," Nick nodded.

"We'll need to bring him in for questioning." Perry proposed.

"For what, renting a guy a limo?" Nick dismissed.

"But, he's working with the M.M gang." Perry parried.

"We know that, he knows that but, legally, he's done nothing wrong." Nick justified.

"The M.M gang and Mr Big wanted us to know they had Thumper." Judy theorized, "Must mean they have intel for us again."

"We're off the case, Fluff." Nick reminded.

"Big will talk to me," Jack announced, "I'm sure he remembers me."

"You know a gangster, Savage?" Perry asked in a critical voice.

"I went to middle school with his daughters. If I treat him with respect, and go in without a wire or weapons, he'll talk to me." Jack said, sounding sure.

"Looks like we don't have a choice," Perry conceded.

"I'll call Finnick and set up a meeting." Nick offered, getting out his phone.

"Thanks, Nick," Jack gave a small smile. The buck rabbit's anger was replaced with a little malice. Sure, he was angry Thumper had been released, but there was no way on earth that Robin and Little John would go easy on the killer, and that made him smile with satisfaction.

000

Nick had rang Finnick and they set up a meeting to take place on Wednesday night at Mr Big's mansion but, for Nick and Judy, that night was a little more significant, as Luna was having her first sleepover at their place.

When the pair clocked out at the precinct on Wednesday, Judy went straight home to get the apartment ready, while Nick went to pick Luna up from music practice at her school. Judy had just finished making some sandwiches for when they arrived, when the sound of keys unlocking the door brought a smile to Judy's face. The door opened and a small blur of ginger fur charged into the apartment, honing in on Judy. Luckily for Judy, she had a lot of experience with excitable kits, and she captured Luna in a hug easily, "Judy!" Luna beamed.

"Hey, sweetie," Judy grinned, kissing the fox kit on the cheek, "how was school?"

"Me and Olivia got an A on our history project." Luna answered proudly.

"You should see that school, Carrots, it's really fancy." Nick commented, setting down Luna's backpack and violin case by the door before spotting the sandwiches on the kitchen counter, "Hey, are those for us?"

"Uh huh, chicken and mayo for you two, and salad sandwiches for me." Judy informed, "And it's vegetable lasagne for dinner."

"Thanks, Fluff, you're the best." Nick replied, before going over to his girlfriend and kissing her atop of her head.

The small sign of affection caused a giggle from Luna, causing Nick to query, "What's so funny, kiddo?"

"I saw you two kissing on TV." Luna teased before making kissing noises.

Judy and Nick shared a bashful look before Nick replied, "Yeah well that's because me and Judy love each other, very much."

"Mommy said that naughty wolverine was being a bully." Luna added, getting on her tip toes to grab a sandwich.

"Your Mom's right, Bastille is a bully, and that's why me and your Dad stopped him from bothering that nice couple." Judy explained.

Luna took a bite of her chicken sandwich before asking, innocently, "So, if I need to stop a bully, I should find a boy and kiss him?"

"No!" Nick said with panic, "That isn't going to happen, baby girl, because if any boy tries to kiss you, I'll introduce him to my tranq pistol."

"Nick!" Judy scolded, punching him in the arm.

"What? Any boy comes sniffing around, I'll send him packing." Nick defended.

"She's six years old, I think it's a little early to be worried about Luna courting." Judy shot down.

This little exchange caused another laugh to sprout from Luna's mouth, "You two are funny."

Nick and Judy looked at the merry child and their bickering soon stopped and smiles reappeared on their faces, "Ok, kiddo, did you bring clothes that your mom doesn't mind getting messy?" Nick asked.

"Yep," The kit nodded, still munching her sandwich.

"Good, because tonight we're painting," Judy smiled.

Twenty minutes later Luna, Nick and Judy had gotten changed into their 'Messy' clothes. Luna was in a pair of shorts and a navy t shirt, Nick was in a tacky 'I'm with stupid' t-shirt and sweat pants, whilst Judy was in an old pair of dungarees. They went into Luna's room to find sheets covering the nice wood flooring and six pots of paint, with varying sizes of brushes beside the pots. "So, we can paint my room however I want?" Luna asked excitedly.

"Sure thing, kiddo," Nick assured.

"So, I can paint flowers on the wall if I want to?" Luna gushed.

"If that's what you want." Judy smiled, going over to the pots of paint, "We have yellow, blue, red, green, pink and purple, so I think we can make some flowers with those colours."

"I wanna paint daffodils!" Luna yipped with excitement, rushing over to grab the yellow and green paints.

An hour in and the bedroom walls were practically a bouquet of flowers. There were roses, daffodils, tulips, lilacs, posies and everything in between. At this moment in time, Luna was in the middle of creating a very tall sunflower, so she was sat on Nick's shoulders as she finished off the petals, "Nice work, kiddo," Nick praised.

"Thanks, Dad." Luna grinned back, with a dripping yellow paintbrush in her hand.

Nick spied Judy on the other side of the room, painting a small butterfly on the wall, when a puckish thought dashed through his brain. "Hey Luna, want to see something funny?" he whispered to his daughter.

"Uh huh," she replied, also whispering.

"Ok, just hold that paintbrush out as far as you can." Nick instructed with a glint in his eye.

"Got it," Luna nodded, seeing where this was headed.

Nick then carefully stepped up behind Judy and lined up the paint brush with the bunny's head and soon enough DRIP! A big dollop of paint fell on her head, "What the?" Judy voiced before hearing chuckles behind her. She turned and a grin grew on her face when saw the guilty party, "Oh, now you've asked for it." Judy coaxed, before bouncing up and running her paintbrush across Nick's face, causing a huge roar of laughter from Luna.

"Ok, that's it." Nick bantered, lifting Luna off of his shoulders and setting her down, he then dashed over to the paint cans and dipped his paws into the liquid, one green and the other purple, "Come here, you two!" he chortled, as he chased after Judy and Luna. He caught Luna easily and covered her in brightly coloured paw prints. The end result was all three of them laughing and covered head to toe in paint.

After a very messy bath time, where the three of them shared the tub, Luna got changed into her pink nightie, whilst Nick got dressed in his trademark green shirt and striped tie, while Judy got into her PJs. The three had a joyful and conversation filled dinner of veggie lasagne before Luna practically begged Nick to put on her favourite Disney movie 'Floatzen'. Nick eventually caved and he put the animated film on Netflix. Luna knew all the words to the songs and all Nick and Judy could do was smile as the kit sang along, even if it was off key. Towards the end of the movie, Judy went to get her uniform ready for the next morning, and when she came back in, she was met with a scene that melted her heart. Her two favourite foxes had fallen asleep on the sofa. Nick was snoozing with his head tilted slightly back with his paw resting on top of Luna's back, the little vixen had a soft smile as she snuggled up next to her dad shaped pillow. Judy instinctively got her phone out and captured the image before setting it as her new wallpaper. She looked once more at the sleeping foxes and came to the realisation that this was her family now. She loved the Hopps’ (well, most of them) but these two were now part of her heart, and a small tear of joy rolled down her cheek as she gazed upon her boyfriend and step daughter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (An/ So what did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Next time on Take A Stand; Robin has a painful reunion with the best hacker in Zootopia, the future of Judy and Nick's partnership is decided, Jack meets with Mr Big and the gang gets together for a BBQ! Please review and c ya soon!)
> 
>  


	16. Double Dare

** Chapter 16- Double dare. **

Marian Wilde was a very sociable vixen. It was very rare that she would go home and watch TV after finishing work. On Mondays, she would attend the Sherwood book club, on Tuesdays she taught an I.T for beginners class at the local community centre, Wednesdays she'd be at the MMA gym, where she was the eldest member of the class and the most ruthless for her weight division, Thursdays was cooking club and the rest of the week, Marian would be out with friends or helping out in the neighbourhood. So, on this Wednesday evening when Marian pulled into the driveway of her modest Sherwood home, she had no idea that her happy life was about to become a lot more complicated. Marian unlocked the front door and walked into her home wearing her MMA sparring attire, which consisted of a black tank top and matching black shorts with a lilac stripe running down them. She tossed down her gym bag by the stairs and went into the kitchen to make herself some tea. But as soon as she entered the kitchen, she knew something wasn’t quite right as she walked into the unlit room. She played it cool as she walked by the light switch on purpose and went over to the kettle to fill it up, all the while sniffing the air. Someone else was in the kitchen with her. The intruder smelt of engine oil and, more disturbingly, blood. Marian acted natural as she filled the kettle before setting it back down on its stand and, after switching it on, she then calmly went over to the knife block and pulled out the biggest blade. She turned around and confidently said "I know you're there, you can't hide from me. I bet you thought a little old vixen like me would be easy to rob, didn't you? But have you never heard the old phrase, 'A cornered fox is…"

"A cornered fox is more dangerous than a charging wolf." a voice from the darkness finished Marian's sentence, "You always did like that saying."

Marian's breath caught in her throat, her body tensed as she heard that smooth charming voice, her heart started to gallop as she dropped the knife and whispered in a hopeful voice, "Robin?"

Robin flicked on the light switch to illuminate the kitchen and reveal himself. He was in his 'Hood' uniform, but his face was uncovered to reveal his nervous smile and unsure hazel eyes, "Hello my love." he said, words he thought he'd never say again.

Marian let out a gasp and brought her paw to her chest, the two of them staring at one another for a moment before Marian made her way over to the infamous outlaw. Robin opened his arms, ready to receive a hug, but instead got a thundering punch in the muzzle, causing him to stagger back. He didn't see that punch coming. He brought his paw up to his nostrils and found blood coming from them. "And here I was, hoping for a hug and a kiss." he chuckled.

"That was for hitting Judy!" Marian yelled, "My god, Robin, she's a good cop, and more importantly, Nick's girlfriend."

"How was I supposed to know she was with Nick?" Robin argued, "Anyway, I apologised to her afterwards."

The two seemed like they were about to get into a deeper shouting match, but neither said another word. Marian looked at the blood streaming from Robin's nose and tried to hold back a laugh, but soon enough she was giggling like a schoolgirl, then Robin started laughing along with her. Marian picked up a roll of paper towels and tossed them over to her husband. "Twenty six years without seeing each other and I punch you," Marian laughed "and who said romance was dead?"

"We both know I was the romantic one, you were the cool one." Robin winced as he wiped the blood from his snout.

"Cool? I haven't been called that in years." Marian scoffed.

"You're still beautiful," Robin flirted "scratch that, you look even more radiant now than you did all those years ago."

"Ever the charmer," Marian smiled, stepping over and moving Robin's paw down from his nose and giving him a kiss twenty six years in the making. All the hurt, the grief, the longing evaporated as their lips touched, Robin held Marian close, cherishing the closeness they had both missed so much. When the kiss ended, Marian nuzzled into Robin's neck and asked weakly, "Why didn't you come see me when you came back to Zootopia?"

"I…" Robin struggled, still hugging his wife, "I was afraid, I didn't want to show up and see you had moved on."

Marian took her muzzle out of Robin's neck and held up her left paw to show her wedding ring, "I never stopped loving you, and you never stopped being my husband." She said, with tears in her eyes.

Robin mirrored Marian's action and held up his paw, showing his own ring, and declared, "Marian, my darling, I love you more than life itself."

"I'm surprised you don't hate me after all I've done." Marian lamented.

"Hush with that foolishness, we did the right thing that night." Robin asserted.

"But, you and little John, both of you suffered because…" Marian voiced her regret.

"Your ears," Robin said out of the blue, his eyes scrutinizing the vixen's ears.

"Huh?" she sounded.

"You got rid of your piercings." Robin noted with disappointment, "I always loved those."

"Robin, I'm nearly fifty, they looked silly on me." Marian replied.

"Nonsense, I bet you'd still look great with them." Robin grinned.

"Going back to my punk fashion is not really a grandmotherly look." Marian said, absentmindedly.

Robin was about to respond, but his brain caught the word 'Grandmotherly', and he asked carefully, "Why would you care about looking like a grandmother?"

Marian finally realised what she’d said and gave an awkward laugh before saying, "Surprise, you're a Granddad."

"I'm a what?!" Robin half shouted, "Wait, can Judy even have a kit with Nick?"

"No, no." Marian waved off, "She's from a previous relationship."

"She, we have a granddaughter?" Robin asked rather excitedly.

Marian retrieved her smart phone and opened up the gallery, before showing a picture of the ever smiling Luna sitting on Nick's knee, "Her name is Luna and she's the sweetest little girl in the city." Marian said proudly, noticing Robin's eyes grow watery upon seeing the fox kit.

"Luna Loxsley, it's got a nice ring to it." Robin smiled as he took hold of the phone, his hazel eyes close to crying tears of happiness.

"Wilde." Marian corrected, feeling bad about it.

"Oh," Robin sounded, appearing hurt, "yeah you and Nick changed your names to Wilde…like we discussed."

"In my heart, I'm still Marian Loxley." Marian promised, kissing her downtrodden love on the cheek.

"Thank you." Robin responded, appreciating the comforting words.

Robin kept looking at the phone image of his son and granddaughter, as Marian went to a cupboard and got out a litre bottle of single malt scotch and two whiskey glasses. "So, who's her mum?" Robin asked, hardly believing the striking resemblance between Luna and Marian.

"Victoria Todd." Marian sighed, as she poured them both a scotch.

"Her Mother is a Todd?! What the hell was Nick doing with a Todd? They're one of the reasons so many mammals hate foxes." Robin voiced his annoyance at this news.

"Take it easy," Marian calmed, "Victoria isn't that bad, besides, she's going through hell right now."

"How do you mean?" Robin asked, spotting Marian's sad expression.

"She has terminal cancer; doctors say she's got less than a month left." Marian answered with a glum voice.

Robin immediately felt guilty for his harsh words and commented, "Oh god…that poor woman, that poor kid."

"Nick and Judy are going to have full custody of Luna when, well, you know." Marian added, as she walked over and handed Robin his whiskey.

"At least the child will be safe and loved." Robin concluded, taking a sip of the scotch.

"So…" Marian dragged, "As much as I am glad to see you here, I assume there must be a reason you've come to see me, apart from a kiss."

"You assume right." Robin confirmed, "Long story short; Me and Johnny need your help."

Marian took a sip from her drink before asking, with a small smile, "What's the job?"

"We nabbed one of Misdadd's thugs and 'convinced' him to give some info. It seems that drug empire duo is in fact a trio." Robin explained.

"So, Rattigan and Misdadd have a third player. You got a name?" Marian probed.

"Some mystery mammal with an odd codename; Buttercup," Robin answered.

Marian was quiet for a moment before she groaned, "You have got to be kidding me."

"What's wrong?" Robin reacted.

"I've heard that name before; Buttercup is an information broker who's been about for the last five years. This mammal blackmails anyone in power and is known for being brutal to anyone who refuses instructions." Marian elaborated.

Robin crossed his arms and asked in a judging tone, "And how would you know that?"

Marian realised that she had landed herself in it and grumbled, "Shit."

"You're still hacking? After everything that happened? We had a deal!" Robin sniped.

"Look, I'm sorry, ok?" Marian reasoned, "but I couldn't just leave that life behind. I swear, Nick was a grown man and had moved out when I started hacking again, he was never in any danger."

Robin let out a sigh and rubbed his temples before saying, "Please tell me you haven't been out in the field."

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Loxley," Marian charmed, "I've been doing everything from my computer, I haven't been in the field, I promise you."

"Well, at least that's some consolation." Robin griped.

"Oh, come on, Robin," Marian flirted, "deep down you're still that good little boy who fell for the rebellious bad girl and guess what? I'm still a rebel."

Robin chastised himself mentally for smiling at the vixen, but he couldn't help it, she always had a hold on his heart, "Some rebel, you won't even wear your piercings anymore." He joked.

"Enough about the piercings," Marian halted before clearing her throat, "So, you need me to find out who Buttercup is?"

"Apparently, Misdadd and Rattigan only keep in contact with Buttercup via webcam chats. Is there any way you can hack one of the mobsters' computers and trace it back to Buttercup?" Robin asked back.

"I've tried that already. I've attempted hacking them, but they're locked up tighter than a nun's chastity belt. My only chance is if I can access their computer directly." Marian offered.

"Which means you have to be in the field," Robin guessed with a huff.

"Exactly, but we'll have to make it look like a heist to avoid Buttercup's suspicion." Marian pointed out.

"Your mind is already working on a plan, isn't it?" Robin asked.

"But of course, would you expect anything less from the founder of the M.M gang?" Marian boasted jokingly.

Robin chuckled before saying, "It still gets me that the MCB named us the Merry Mammals, if only they knew the truth."

Marian raised her glass and toasted, "To the Maid Marian gang."

000

When Friday came, Nick had texted Jack to ask how his meeting with Mr. Big went, and was surprised to find out that the meeting had never taken place at all. When Jack went to meet Finnick at the Champion pub, the fennec had informed the MCB agent that the meeting had to be cancelled. In fact, the entire Big mansion was on lockdown for a reason Finnick daren't disclose, but to offer some sort of apology, Finnick had whispered a message from Mr. Big to Jack, "Find Buttercup." Despite the cryptic message, Jack expressed his gratitude and shared a few pints with Finnick for old time's sake.

Friday roll call came and Chief Bogo read out from the docket as always but, when he got to Hopps and Wilde, something about the buffalo changed, Judy noticed the trepidation in Bogo's eyes as he ordered Judy, and Judy alone, to report to the meeting room on the first floor to see Commissioner Bagheera. Nick hugged his girlfriend and assured, "It'll be ok, carrots." before Nala and Clawhauser had their turn at hugging the small rabbit and giving words of encouragement. Just as Judy was about to leave the room, a voice spoke up.

"Hopps," Bogo said in his usual manner.

She turned on her heel and automatically responded with, "Yes, Chief?"

"Good luck." he offered with a rare smile.

Judy walked back over to the police chief and said surely, "Get down here." opening her arms for a hug.

Bogo looked around and saw most cops were still mingling around, apart from Nick, Clawhauser and Nala who were looking at Bogo, wondering if he would give in to his soft side. Bogo let out a grunt before stating, "This is a onetime thing." before kneeling down and hugging the bunny.

"Thank you Mason, you're a good friend." she whispered in his ear, before gifting a small peck on the cheek.

"And you're an amazing cop, Hopps." he replied, before letting go and standing back up.

"Would it kill you to call me Judy?" the bunny played.

"Get going," Bogo said, mockingly stern, "don't keep the commissioner waiting."

Judy gave everyone a reassuring smile before she made her way out of the bullpen and towards the meeting room. Judy could feel the eyes on her from her fellow cops as she ascended the stairs and walked to the room where her partnership with Nick would be decided once and for all. She knocked on the door to receive an instant "Enter." from within. Judy reached for the door handle and opened the door to see the police commissioner sitting in a tailored grey suit. Bagheera was a jet black jaguar with a straight face that was impossible for Judy to read. She walked in and stood at the opposite end of the table and saluted her superior officer, "You asked to see me, sir." she opened.

"Yes, Hopps. Please, take a seat." Bagheera pointed to a seat Judy was close to and she hastily sat in the oversized chair. Bagheera studied the rabbit for a few seconds, as if trying to suss out whether or not she was nervous, but Judy was giving nothing away. He was impressed by this, so he opened with, "You've put the ZPD in quite the predicament, Hopps. You are the force's public face, you solved the Night Howler case and brought down Bellweather, but you and your partner have clearly broken the rules."

"That was not our intent, sir. We love each other and want to have a life together." Judy reasoned.

"But, you do accept that you and Officer Wilde broke the rules when you two began a relationship, while still being partners?" Bagheera questioned.

"Yes, sir," Judy conceded.

"If I split you two up now, all the news networks will paint the ZPD as prejudice. However, even though you are interspecies, you are still defying our regulations, so you must be separated." Bagheera summarized.

"I understand, sir." Judy breathed. She was upset, but there was no way on earth she was going to show it.

"But, not just yet," Bagheera added.

"Sir?" Judy queried.

"After the election, there is usually a fresh wave of retirements and promotions across all of the ZPD. In other words, you are getting a promotion, so we won't look bad when we separate you and Wilde." Bagheera laid out his strategy.

"Promotion?" Judy spoke, baffled by what was being said.

"You’ll have a few weeks left on the beat with Wilde, after that, I'm assigning you to Savannah Central SWAT as a sergeant. To speed up the process, I have already boosted your rank and salary." Bagheera explained.

"Uh…," Judy mumbled, feeling overwhelmed.

"Put it this way," Bagheera said bitterly, as he stood up "if you were any other mammal, I'd fire you, but you're a god damn heroine, so count yourself lucky." he then walked to the door and opened it, "We're done here, get out."

Judy, feeling insulted but confused, obeyed and walked out of the meeting room. In an almost trance like state, she wandered down back to the bullpen to find Nick, Clawhauser, Bogo and Nala still chatting. All of them looked surprised that she was back so soon. Nick rushed over to his girlfriend and asked in a concerned tone, "Sweetheart, what happened?"

Judy composed herself and said, "I just got a promotion."

"Huh?" Nala responded.

"I'm Sergeant Hopps, now. In a few weeks, I'm being put on the SWAT team for this district." Judy replied, hardly believing her words.

"I don't know whether to say congrats or sorry, bun bun." Clawhauser sympathised.

"It's better than getting fired." Bogo pointed out.

Nick saw the confused and disappointed look on the does’ face and decided to cheer her up, "Well, check you out, not only are you the first bunny cop, I bet you're the youngest sergeant we've ever had." Nick smiled.

Judy smiled back at Nick before playfully punching him in the arm "Thanks, Slick." she said sincerely, realising she would still have Nick when she got home from work and on the days off. She would never really lose Nick from her life, but their days of patrolling Savannah Central together were coming to a close.

000

It was Saturday now, and it was the day of the big barbeque at the Priderock family home. Nick and Judy were driving to Victoria's penthouse to pick up Luna, seeing as it was their scheduled day to have Luna. Nick was driving his very rarely used red Audi convertible (which he won in a poker game) with Judy beside him dressed in a gorgeous white dress with a green vine pattern decorating it. When they were about a block away from the Todd penthouse, Judy's phone began to buzz. She got out her phone and her face turned sour when she saw the screen, she rejected the call and gave an annoyed tut.

"Your mom is trying to call you again?" Nick guessed.

"Bingo." Judy replied bitterly.

"Maybe she's ringing to apologise." Nick thought out loud.

"She isn't, believe me." Judy replied defensively.

"Well, how do you know?" Nick countered, stopping at a red light.

"Because, I know my Mom, she acted the same way when a few of my siblings came out as gay." Judy recalled.

"But, did she apologise to them?" Nick asked, hoping he was right.

"…Yes." Judy admitted, "But, that's not the point, even if she does apologise, I don't know if I can forgive her."

"Look, I know your Mom hurt you, but you still have the rest of your family who love you, and you can't abandon them." Nick persuaded, the traffic light going green, so he accelerated once again.

"Rabbit families aren't like Foxes," Judy sighed, "once the head of the family makes a decision, that's final, and my Mom is the matriarch, so when she said I'm not allowed back on the farm, she meant it."

"I'm sorry, Carrots." Nick sympathised, pulling up outside the tower Victoria and Luna called home.

"Don't be; you, Luna and Marian are my family now." Judy said, putting on a brave face.

Nick turned off the engine and smiled at her, "We're lucky to have you."

Two minutes later, Nick and Judy stepped out of the elevator and into the luxury penthouse to find a few mammals in waiter attire prepping a fancy buffet. They spotted Grace the panda relaying instructions to the staff and we're about to ask her what was going on, when an excited squeal of "Dad! Judy!" came from the hallway. Luna skipped over to the couple dressed in pink shorts and a purple t-shirt and hugged both of them.

"Hi, kiddo," Nick greeted, hugging her back.

"She's been really looking forward to this barbeque." Victoria's voice came from the hallway.

They both looked up and saw Victoria in an elegant red dress that look like it cost a fortune. She didn't look tired, her black fur looked silky and well groomed, and it almost looked like she wasn't dying. "Victoria, you look amazing. I love your dress." Judy complimented.

"Yeah, you look great." Nick smiled, happy to see the vixen looking healthier.

"Thanks," Victoria replied before looking at Luna, "baby, where's your backpack?"

"Ooops." the Kit sounded, before dashing off to her room.

"So, what's all this about, Vic?" Nick asked, motioning towards the buffet.

"I don't mean to sound grim, but it's my farewell party." Victoria answered.

"Come again?" Judy asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Grace and all of my sorority sisters from college are coming over to have one last party before I die." Victoria explained, sounding weirdly positive.

"Morbid, but nice," Nick commented.

"I've been promised copious amounts of alcohol and strippers, so it's lucky that Luna is staying at your place tonight." Victoria grinned.

"Well that sounds…fun." Judy reacted awkwardly.

"Um, how's Luna been doing with, you know, you leaving soon?" Nick asked with caution.

"She's trying to be happy, but she just starts crying sometimes. Just look out for her, will you? She always says that she's ok, but just hold her if she starts to cry." Victoria told with worry in her voice.

"Of course," Judy nodded.

"Thanks, I'm so glad she has you two." Victoria said with sincerity.

000

About half an hour later, the trio of Nick, Judy and Luna arrived at the Priderock home in the suburbs between Savannah Central and Sahara Square. Nick's mouth was watering at the smell of grilled bug burgers, chicken and salmon coming from the back garden of the house. The trio made their way around the house and found the barbeque in full swing. "Hey." Judy greeted, carrying a few plastic containers of potato salad she had made that morning.

"Sup' Rocky?" Nick added, who had brought a crate of beer.

"Hey guys." Nala replied happily, "Glad you three could make it."

Nick put the crate of beer next to rest of the booze piled up next to snack table. He looked around to see that Clawhauser and Bogo had already arrived, along with the Dawsons and their daughter, Olivia, who was already playing with Nala's cubs. He then spotted a male Lion with a reddish mane manning two separate grills, one for meat and one for veggies, "You must be Simba." Nick said in a friendly tone.

"And you must be Nick Wilde," Simba smiled flipping a veggie burger with a spatula, "great to finally meet you."

"Nick, Judy, you guys having a beer?" Nala asked, trying to be a perfect hostess.

"Oh, shoot, who's driving?" Judy asked her boyfriend.

"Uhh, rock, paper, scissors for it?" Nick shrugged, holding up his fist.

"Ok," Judy agreed, positioning her fist in front of Nick's "1,2,3," Judy chose paper, but Nick chose scissors.

"Nice." Nick grinned in victory "Nala, I'm drinking, throw me a beer, please."

Nala tossed Nick a can of IPA before pouting, "Aww, I was hoping to see the Vodka Witch again."

"Not a chance." Judy shot down before turning to see if Luna wanted a drink, but she was already chatting to the Dawsons, who stood on the table drinking mice sized drinks.

"Hello Mr. and Dr. Dawson." Luna beamed politely.

"Good afternoon, Luna." David smiled back; he was always pleased with how polite his daughter's best friend was.

"How many times must we tell you, dear child, that you can call us Basil and David?" Basil corrected.

"But, you tell Olivia it's rude to call grownups by their real name." Luna pointed out.

"She's got us there." David chuckled.

"Well, you can make an exception for us." Basil convinced the fox kit.

"Grownups are weird." Luna pondered out loud before spotting Olivia playing with Kion and Kiara and was about to run over to join in the fun, but a looming figure suddenly blocked her path. She looked up to see a confused looking Bogo staring down at her. Her face lit up as she said, "Wow, you're really tall mister!"

"Uh, thank you?" Bogo responded. Unsure of how to respond, he then called over to Nick.

"I'm Luna, what's your name?" Luna introduced herself.

"Ch- I mean, Mason." Bogo corrected himself.

"It's you!" Clawhauser gushed, spotting Luna.

"You're that nice cheetah that Judy and my Dad work with." Luna remembered with a grin.

"That's right, but you can call me Benjamin." Clawhauser replied.

"You know this child?" Bogo asked his boyfriend.

"Yeah, she's Nick's daughter." Clawhauser answered.

"She is?" Bogo asked, stunned.

"I am." Luna confirmed with a winning smile "Hey, can I ride on your shoulders?"

"Eh." Bogo sounded; he wasn't used to dealing with children.

"Sure, Mason won't mind." Clawhauser giggled, picking up the little girl and placing her on Bogo's shoulders before the buffalo could object, with Basil and David laughing along at the awkward police chief.

"Whoa, it must be so cool to be this tall!" Luna praised, holding onto Bogo's horns like handlebars.

Bogo was feeling embarrassed, and was actually blushing, as he cleared his throat before calling, "Wilde, I believe I have something that belongs to you."

Nick, Judy, Nala and Simba turned to see the shy looking Bogo with Luna on his shoulders and they all tried to hold back their laughs, but soon they were snickering at his expression before flat out laughing. "Looks like you've met my baby girl, Chief." Nick howled.

"Aww, you look so cute." Nala mocked.

"You ok up there, sweetie?" Judy chuckled, her question to Luna.

"I'm the tallest mammal here!" Luna joked before shouting to the other kids "Hey, Olivia, look at me!"

Olivia smiled and dashed over with the Priderock cubs following her, "Mr Bogo can we please have a ride on your shoulders?" the tiny mouse asked with a sweet voice.

Bogo looked at the three kids and realised he had no choice in the matter, "O-of course." he answered with an awkward smile to the cheers of the little ones.

Twenty minutes later Simba's best friends, Timon and Pumba, arrived at the party, with the meerkat and warthog being hug tackled by Kion and Kiara as they entered. Shortly after, Jack and Skye came into the garden. Nick spotted Luna, who was in the middle of munching on a chicken burger, whilst chatting with the other children, and called her over, "Kiddo, come over here. I want you to meet these mammals."

"Ok, dad," Luna said, putting her burger down on her plate and walking over.

"Luna, these are my and Judy's friends, Jack and Skye." Nick made the introductions.

"Hello." Luna gave her usual grin.

"Well, hello there little lady," Jack smiled back.

"Oh, you are so beautiful." Skye admired.

"Thanks, you're really pretty too." Luna complimented.

"You know, Luna, I've known your Dad since we were babies." Jack revealed.

"Really?" Luna asked with wonder.

"Yeah, and your Nana Marian is my godmother." Jack added.

"So, does that make us related?" Luna asked, tilting her head.

"I guess." Nick replied with warmth, "Call them Uncle Jack and Aunty Skye."

"Yay! I have an aunty and uncle." Luna celebrated before surprising Jack with a hug, which the buck rabbit appreciated, as he hugged her back, with Skye taking note of the broody look in her man's eyes.

Back over at the grills, Bogo was helping Simba by taking care of the veggie burgers, all the while talking to Judy, "So, Hopps, how does it feel to be a sergeant?" he asked.

"Not that different yet, I suppose when I'm put on SWAT, it'll be strange, but I'll get used to it." Judy replied.

"I bet your family is proud." Bogo assumed.

"I…I haven't told them. Mom and I aren't talking." Judy confided.

Bogo empathised and guessed why, "Is it because of you being inter?"

"Yeah," Judy said bluntly, grabbing a can of lemonade from the cool box.

"I can relate, my parents aren't talking to me either." Bogo responded.

"I just wish my mom was more like Nick's. I mean, she was rooting for us even before we even started dating. Marian can see Nick and I love each other, so why can't my Mom?" Judy griped, opening her can and sipping from it.

"She'll see one day, Hopps." Bogo consoled.

"Ok, stop that." Nala said sternly, coming over.

"Stop what?" Bogo asked, puzzled by the lioness' tone.

"Using our surnames, we're not at work, MASON." Nala told, emphasising the chief's name.

"Sorry, it's just a habit." Bogo apologised.

"You should make him play the Down game to stop him from doing it." Simba suggested, handing a fresh bug burger to Pumba.

"Oh, that's perfect." Nala grinned mischievously.

"The Down game?" Bogo asked.

"Every time you use anyone's last name, you have to down your beer in one gulp." Pumba explained with his mouth full.

"Fine, I accept your challenge." Bogo agreed with confidence, before spotting Jack getting a beer, "Savage, would you like a veggie burger?" he asked courteously.

"Down your beer!" Judy and Nala yelled in unison.

"Damn it." Bogo groused, before chugging the remainder of his beer to the cheers of Judy and Nala. He was going to regret agreeing to this drinking game.

"Actually, can I have a bug burger?" Jack asked, swigging his own beer.

"You want a bug burger?" Simba asked, looking dubiously at the buck rabbit.

"Please." Jack confirmed.

"Ugh, Jack, that's gross." Judy voiced her disgust.

"What's gross about it?" Jack defended.

"We're evolved to be herbivores." Judy stated.

"So?" Jack shrugged before pointing at Clawhauser, "Benny's evolved to be a carnivore, yet he's eating potato salad."

"It just seems weird." Judy screwed up her face as Simba passed Jack the bug burger.

Jack took a bite of the burger and gave a satisfied hum, before saying with a full mouth, "Thanks, Simba."

"That's just wrong." Bogo commented, grabbing a fresh beer.

"Don't knock it until you try it, you both have predators as lovers, you'll be omnivores soon enough." Jack replied, still chewing.

"What are you guys talking about?" Skye asked, coming over with Nick and Luna.

"Winter, did you get him into eating meat?" Bogo asked, nodding at Jack.

"Down it!" Pumba and Simba bellowed.

"Damn." Bogo repeated, before downing a whole can of beer.

"Nah, I was working late one night and I come home to find Jack eating my leftover piri piri chicken." Skye recalled.

"I was curious, turns out I love meat." Jack justified.

"Weird." Judy added.

"What's weird about it?" Luna asked innocently.

"It's just, prey don't eat meat, sweetie." Judy answered.

"Hmmm," Luna mused, before giving a cheeky grin, "Dare you to eat a bug burger!"

"Huh?" Judy reacted.

"Nice one, kiddo. You hear that, Carrots? You've been dared." Nick matched his daughter's grin.

"Not a chance." Judy shot down.

"Come on, Judy." Nala egged on, passing Bogo another beer.

"Yeah, Hopps, you got me to do this silly drinking game." Bogo said, trying to convince her.

"Down it, Mason," Nala reminded the chief with a nudge in the arm. He did so swiftly, before crushing the empty can against his forehead; he was beginning to enjoy this game.

"I'm not eating meat, end of discussion." Judy defied.

"I double dare ya'." Luna provoked.

"Oooh, double dare," Skye encouraged.

"Ne, Nil, Nien, Non, Nyet and No." Judy refused in six languages.

The grownups were about to give up, but Luna started to cluck like a chicken, "Bok bok." she imitated, flapping her imaginary wings.

"Are you calling me a chicken?" Judy smirked, loving this playful side of her step daughter.

"Bok bok." Luna clucked in conformation.

"Oh, it's on." Judy replied with a grin, "Simba give me a bug burger!"

"Yes, ma'am," The Lion laughed, before constructing the burger for the bunny. He passed it to Judy, who held it slightly away from her. She looked at the patty and could see the numerous mashed up insects along with a few heads and legs protruding out, but at least there was some lettuce and tomatoes on the bun to help with the flavour. She looked at the burger with disgust, and was already regretting rising to Luna's challenge. She closed her amethyst eyes, took a deep breath, and took a bite of the burger. She munched the burger, trying to block out her sense of taste but, when the meat juices hit her tongue, it was too late, she could taste it…and it was good. Her eyes opened and looked at her friends, who were expecting her to spit out the meat, but she did the unexpected and took another bite. Everyone, barring Jack, looked shocked as the bunny wolfed down the burger, "That was awesome." she grinned "Can I have a chicken burger now?"

Three hours passed, and the sun was just beginning to set, the kids were playing pirates and digging for treasure in the sandbox, while all the grownups were sitting on the lawn furniture, all full from food, well, apart from Clawhauser and Pumba, who were still feasting. Nala was uncharacteristically affectionate as she snuggled up to her husband, causing Judy, who had eaten two chicken burgers, two bugs burgers and a fillet of salmon, to coo, "So, how long have you two known each other?"

"Since we were kids," Simba smiled.

"Yeah, Nala was Simba's bully at school." Timon laughed, sitting on the grass.

"What?" Basil scoffed.

"Guys, come on." Simba appealed.

"Simba was a massive cry baby all the way through school." Pumba embarrassed his old friend.

"Yeah, every recess Nala would give Simba wedgies and pin him." Timon chortled.

"He'd be like 'That evil Nala kicked me wah wah', ha ha ha." Pumba jested.

"Awww, that's so romantic." Skye commented.

"In what way is that romantic?" Clawhauser asked, while cuddling a very drunk Bogo.

"Don't you know? When a girl bullies a boy, it means she likes him." Judy informed "That's how I acted with my first crush."

"Same here," Skye agreed.

"Love does strange things to mammals." David responded, drinking wine from a mouse sized glass.

"How about you two?" Nick spoke up, "How'd you and Basil meet?"

"Back at university, our friends Hiram and Cathy set us up on a blind date," Basil reminisced, "fast forward ten years; we're married and have adopted a wonderful daughter."

"You wore that ghastly shirt to our first date." David remembered with a laugh.

"I'll have you know, that was the height of fashion at the time." Basil defended.

"Hehehehehehe." Bogo tittered at the couple.

"You ok, Mason?" Jack asked, wondering if the buffalo had ever been so drunk.

"I'm do-ing splendid, Jack-Jack." Bogo slurred.

"Oh, this is best version of the Chief." Nala sniggered, getting out her smart phone and taking some pics of the inebriated Bogo.

"Kitty-Kat, I'm sleepy." Bogo flirted, resting his head on Clawhauser's shoulder.

"Cutest nickname ever," Judy beamed; she was hugging Nick's fluffy red tail.

"Kitty-Kat, I have to remember that." Nick said, giving a drunken smile.

"Ok, Mason, time to get you home and tucked into bed." Clawhauser said, helping his boyfriend to his feet.

"With you?" Mason flirted shamelessly, kissing his feline on the cheek.

"Who knew the Chief was a sultry drunk?" Nick smirked.

"Hey, Mason, make sure Kitty Kat gives you a good night kiss." Nala joked.

"Oh, he better give me more than a kiss." Mason giggled, causing a roar of laughter from all the adults.

The four kids looked at the group of so called adults from the sandbox and wondered what was going on. "What do you think they're laughing at?" Kiara asked.

"I dunno'." Luna replied, more concerned with finding buried treasure.

"They're drinking silly juice." Kion noticed who was wearing an eyepatch and holding a small wooden sword.

"But that stuff tastes horrible, why do they drink it?" Olivia asked rhetorically as she sat on Luna's shoulder.

The four children let out a sigh before saying in unison, "Grownups are weird."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ What did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Next time on Take a Stand the M.M gang find out why Misdadd and Rattigan wanted the swamp, Skye and Jack make a big decision and the entire city is divided by a single event. Please Review and C YA SOON!)


	17. No turning back

** Chapter 17- No turning back. **

Jack and Skye walked into the cemetery just before noon. Not many mammals were about as most visited their relatives on the weekend, but this day was important for Jack, as today was his mother's birthday; Hannah Savage would be sixty if she was still alive today. Jack was holding a bouquet of various flowers, all the shade of blue, his mom's favourite colour, but when he and Skye reached his mother's gravestone, they found that there were already two bunches of blue flowers lying against the stone. Jack smiled as he read the card on one of the bouquets, 'Happy Birthday Hannah, we miss you- Marian & Family', then he let out a small laugh of disbelief when he saw the message on the second bunch, 'Happy 60th Hannah- R & L.J'.

"What's got you laughing?" Skye asked with curiosity.

"Robin and Little John came to pay their respects." Jack answered, pointing at the message.

"Really?" Skye questioned, reading the card herself.

"It seems so hard to believe that they were once friends of the family," Jack sighed, "and now I'm hunting them."

"Did you know then? That they were outlaws?" Skye wondered.

"I knew before Nick," Jack confessed, setting down his own bouquet, "it was about six months before the plane crash. It was my birthday and I eavesdropped on my Mom, Marian and Robin. My Mom was in serious debt and Robin just handed over three thousand dollars that he stole from a drug dealer."

"Why didn't you tell Nick?" Skye asked, putting a paw on the buck's shoulder.

"It sounds stupid, but I didn't want Nick to know how poor my family really was." Jack confided, "I know now that it wouldn't have mattered, but I didn't want to feel indebted to him."

"You're right, that does sound stupid." Skye agreed with a grin.

"You hear that, Mom? You see how my girlfriend treats me?" Jack joked to the gravestone.

"Hey, don't turn her against me." Skye jested back with a playful push.

Jack was chuckling for a moment, but then his face went sombre as he said, "I wish you two could've met."

"Me too," Skye said with a sad smile, "Um, Jack, there's something I want to talk to you about."

"That sounds ominous." Jack replied, bracing himself.

"I want us to move to Zootopia." Skye informed.

"What?" Jack asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Look, I know you've avoided coming back to this city, but I think we can be happier here. We've only been here a few weeks, and have made friends for life, whilst back in the capital no one wants to be seen with us because of who we are." Skye made her case.

"This is just a little out of the blue, y'know?" Jack tried to gather his thoughts.

"Jack, I'm not happy in the capital, everybody works in government, and all anyone can talk about is work. Here, I feel free, and well…." Skye trailed off.

"Well, what?" Jack inquired.

"There's a great fertility clinic in Tundra Town…I want us to have our baby here." Skye answered with uncharacteristic reserve.

"I see." Jack finally cracked a smile before noticing the slightly guilty look in her aqua blue eyes, "You've already been to the clinic, haven't you?"

"Yeah," she admitted shyly, "they say they can start me on IVF treatment this week, you know, if you give them a sample."

Jack took a hold of Skye's paw and said, "You're right, I have avoided coming back to Zootopia. I was always afraid to come back, to visit my family." He motioned towards the family plot, "But now Flower's going to trial and here's hoping the Hood is giving Thumper hell, so maybe it's time to settle back home."

"You mean it?" Skye's voice lifted with anticipation.

"Let's move here." Jack smiled.

"Oh, Jack." Skye wrapped her striped bunny in a massive hug, "I'll give our transfer papers to Perry this afternoon."

"Eager, aren't we?" Jack played, hugging her back.

"Hey, I'm not the only one who's broody," Skye deflected, "I saw how happy you were when Luna called you ‘Uncle Jack’. Admit it; you want to have kids as much as me."

"Hey, I'm a rabbit, it's in my DNA." Jack justified, still holding onto Skye.

"Oh my gawd!" a happy voice shrilled, causing both Jack and Skye to turn towards the sound; they saw Fru Fru standing in a track suited polar bear's paws, with a smartly dressed male shrew holding a toddler of the same species, "Jack Savage, is that you?"

"Fru Fru," Jack greeted happily as he walked over to the family, "you look great."

"Aww, thank you," Fru Fru smiled, "How long has it been?"

"Just over twenty years." Jack answered, before looking at the male shrew holding the toddler, "So, this must be the lucky guy who got a ring on your finger. Nice to meet you, I'm Jack."

"I’ve heard all about you, Jack, I'm Gino," He greeted warmly, "and this tiny, ball of cute is little Judy."

"Oh, she's adorable." Skye admired, growing more broody by the second.

"So Jack who's this lovely lady?" Fru Fru asked, hungry for gossip.

"This is my boss and girlfriend, Skye," Jack introduced, "Skye, this is my old friend from junior high; Fru Fru."

"Lovely to finally meet you," Skye smiled.

Fru Fru looked at the stylish suit Skye was wearing and gushed, "Oh my gawd, that suit is beautiful, is it a Chanel?"

"It's a Vivienne Westwood actually." Skye replied, whilst striking a pose.

"Sexy and fashionable, aww, Jack, you're one lucky bunny." Fru Fru complimented, "So, what brings you here?"

"My Mom would be sixty today, so I came to wish her happy birthday." Jack explained, nodding at his mother's gravestone.

"Sorry to hear that." Gino sympathised.

"We're here for a similar reason; it's the anniversary of Sophia's death today." Fru Fru informed.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for the funeral." Jack apologised.

"Hey, no being mopey," Fru Fru chastised, "you know my twin wouldn't like that."

"Yeah, you're right." Jack agreed.

"Do you want to come say hello? I'm sure Sophia would be surprised to see you." Fru Fru asked with an oddly happy tone.

"Sure." Jack replied.

A couple of minutes later, the group arrived at the Big family plot to find Mr. Big being held in the towering Koslov's paws, with another polar bear named Kevin beside him and Finnick laying down a bunch of flowers next to the very tiny grave of Sophia Big. "Jack Savage, I hope you're not here on MCB business." Mr. Big said sharply upon noticing the sharp dressed bunny.

Before Jack could explain, Fru Fru cut in, "Daddy, don't be rude! Jack and his girlfriend were visiting his mother's grave."

There was an awkward silence among everyone before Mr. Big cleared his throat and apologised, "I'm sorry, Jack, I tend to get tense on this day."

"It's perfectly understandable, sir." Jack eased the old shrew's worries.

"So, you've come to say hello to my Sophia?" Mr. Big said, sounding impressed, "Go ahead."

Jack nodded in acknowledgement before stepping towards the small gravestone but, just as he was about to kneel down, his large lapin ears heard a sound that made his blood run cold, the sound of multiple guns cocking. "GET DOWN!" He bellowed. As the first bullets tore through the air, Jack dived to the floor and felt a bullet whizz between his ears. Koslov reacted too late and a bullet zipped through the side of his skull, with Mr.. Big falling to the ground beside the dead polar bear. Another bullet hit Raymond in the chest, causing him to drop Fru Fru, Gino and little Judy to the grass. The two foxes let their instincts take over as Finnick scooped up Gino and Little Judy before running behind a tree, while Skye grabbed Fru Fru and took cover behind a large gravestone all while dodging gunfire. Jack rolled on his side to get behind the now dead Koslov and use him as a shield. He checked on Mr. Big, and was horrified to see how the shrew was bleeding from his chest from a rodent sized bullet, and also how he had landed; his neck was broken and his soul had already departed; Mr. Big was dead.

"Jack, call for backup!" Skye ordered, as she produced her pistol from her blazer with one paw and Fru Fru holding onto the other.

"On it!" Jack shouted, getting out his phone and dialling the ZPD.

Kevin, the only bear who hadn't been shot, had mirrored Skye and taken refuge behind a large gravestone and already had a gun in his hands as he told Skye, "I spot six shooters, three normal sized mammals and three rodents."

"Who's their biggest target?" Skye asked, keeping a cool head.

"Looks like there's a Wolf at ten o'clock, his aim is on me, so have at him." Kevin relayed.

"Got it," she said, before looking at Fru Fru and saying, "I'm going to put you down on the ground now, so whatever you, don't run unless I say so, understand?"

"Y-yeah," the shaken shrew answered.

Skye then popped her head up and fired two shots, one hitting the wolf in the throat, the other in his eye, "One down!" Skye yelled so Jack and Kevin could hear.

"ZPD is on their way!" Jack hollered, getting out his own sidearm and firing at a bobcat who was approaching, one shot missed, but the other hit his abdomen and the feline fell to the grass with a wail.

The remaining four mammals then began to retreat, each of them covering one another with suppression fire as they made their way out of the graveyard. Kevin let off a few more shots as the attacking mammals escaped, but as soon they bundled into a white transit van everyone raced over to where the fallen Mr. Big now lay. "No." Finnick choked, lowering Gino and little Judy to the ground.

"Daddy…" Fru Fru uttered, her face a mix of sorrow and wrath.

"We're going to find the bastards who did this." Jack promised his old friend.

"I hope you don't," Fru Fru replied "because I want to find them first. They killed my father, Koslov and Raymond...this…." Fru Fru then started sobbing into her tiny paws as Gino embraced his wife to comfort her. Kevin looked shell shocked at the scene, whilst Finnick had clear bloodlust in his eyes as the sounds of sirens approached. Jack looked once more at Mr. Big’s body and let out a sigh of realisation; the mob war had just escalated to a scary new height.

000

Father Eustice Tuck appeared as a simple priest to most folks, the badger preacher was jolly and was always seen helping those in need in his parish of Sherwood, but for those who really got to know him, they would discover a mammal with a set of morals that didn't quite line up with church teachings.

He was tending to the community vegetable garden in the church grounds when he got a phone call from a fellow priest in Tundra Town; Mr. Big and two of his men had been assassinated and, to make things worse. it took place on the hallowed ground of a cemetery. As soon as the called ended, he hurried himself back into the church and made sure no one was around before he headed to the bell tower, he then pulled back the rug that covered the floor to reveal a metal trap door with a keypad. He punched in the code and descended into the secret catacombs beneath the church. He travelled down the stairs as fast as his old bones could take him and was out of the breath when he reached the main hall of the catacombs. The main hall was lit with artificial light, a huge bank of computer monitors on one side and a armoury of non lethal weapons on the other side and a big table in the centre, where the reunited members of the M.M gang now sat, planning their next job. "Big is dead!" Tuck shouted.

Robin, Marian and Little John looked up from the blueprints of their latest heist location, unsure of what they’d just heard "Huh?" Little John sounded.

"Mr.. Big…he just got whacked." Tuck wheezed, causing all three outlaws to rise to their feet.

"No." Robin reacted, his hazel eyes full of shock.

"He gave us asylum when we came to America." Marian uttered, leaning on her husband.

"How? Big's mansion was on lockdown since someone tried to nab Big's consigliere." Little John questioned, guiding Tuck to a chair so he could rest.

"The cemetery; he was visiting his daughter's grave with his family." Tuck panted.

"Wait, what?" Robin barked, "The code states that no violence can be committed with family present or on hallowed ground."

"They killed him whilst he was visiting Sophia," Marian mourned, "Rattigan and Misdadd have gone too far."

"And Buttercup," Little John snarled, "Is his family ok?"

"Fru Fru, Gino and their daughter are safe; apparently, some rabbit and a fox saved them." Tuck explained, pouring himself a glass of water from the jug on the table.

"Nick and Judy?!" Marian shrieked with worry.

"No, not them, they were MCB agents." Tuck clarified, before taking a sip of water.

"Skippy and his lady love." Robin realised.

"What about his bodyguards?" Little John asked, fearing the worst.

"Finnick and Kevin are ok, but Koslov and Raymond weren't so lucky." Tuck answered.

"Oh god, I go to a cooking club with Koslov's mother. She's going to be heartbroken." Marian gasped, forcing herself not to cry.

"I knew those boys since they were kids." Robin grieved. "They respected the old school ways."

Marian slammed her fist on the table and declared, "We have to strike back."

"No, we're not killing anyone; we made a vow when you started this gang." Robin shot down.

"Oh, I'll let the courts send them to death row but, tonight, we're going to rob every penny we can from them and give it to the poor of Tundra Town." Marian proposed.

"I thought tonight was about learning Buttercup's identity." Little John pointed out.

"That's now the second objective. I'll be hacking alone whilst you two hit the vault." Marian dictated.

"But, I thought we were going to use the Mayoral debate on Wednesday as our distraction?" Robin questioned.

"Then, we're going to need a new distraction." Marian mused, "One that will distract the entire city, hmmmm. Say, John, do you have still Thumper?"

"I got him in a makeshift cell down here, why?" Little John wondered.

"Because, I just thought of one hell of a distraction," Marian grinned.

"Wait, one more thing," Tuck spoke up, a little more composed now.

"What is it, Tuck?" Robin responded.

"That swamp that Bianca and Bernard Gabor own; I had a priest in a local parish look into it and he texted me a picture of it." Tuck told, getting out his phone and showing the image to the trio of outlaws. It just looked like a regular old swamp barring one thing; blue flowers danced across every patch of grass in the picture.

"Doesn't look all that special," Robin commented, wondering what all the fuss was about.

Marian sighed and let out a, "Crap."

"Darling?" Robin queried.

"I know what Rattigan and Misadadd want that land for," Marian said in a steely voice "those flowers are Night Howlers!"

000

Podraic Rattigan felt nervous for the first time in years; the news of Mr. Big's death had spread through the city like wildfire, and all the whispers carried the suspicion that he and Misdadd had ordered the hit. This wasn't true; he knew it wasn't him and he’d known Misdadd long enough to know she wouldn't do something so foolish. Within an hour of hearing the news, Rattigan had arrived at Misdaad's highly secure manor in the Meadowlands, being carried in from his car by the his most loyal enforcer, Felicia. Misdadd was waiting for Rattigan in the hallway and looked equally as uneasy as the rat, "Podraic, thank you for coming so quickly." she greeted. She was glad to see her ally. She was dressed in a deep blue dress and was wearing her finest jewels.

"Of course, Bahati, we need to nip this crisis in the bud." Rattigan replied, taking off his top hat, "Have you spoken to Buttercup yet?"

"No, I waited for you; you have as much to risk in this as I do." Misdadd answered, leading Rattigan and Felicia into the kitchen. All around the manor, there were multiple bodyguards stationed, as if expecting some sort of attack.

"So, you've set up a video call in anticipation of my arrival?" Rattigan assumed.

"Not exactly," Misdadd grimaced, "Buttercup's here."

"What? How? That's impossible." Rattigan babbled.

"She showed up last night requesting shelter. With the amount of money she's made us I saw no harm in it, so I let her stay in the guest house." the Zebra explained, walking through the kitchen and out into the well maintained and colourful garden with Rattigan and his wildcat following.

"Did she say anything?" Rattigan inquired.

"She requested one of the boys from my best brothel; I obliged and sent in a very sexy coyote." Misdadd recalled with a sour face.

"Ha!" Rattigan blurted "I would never have pictured Buttercup as an inter,"

"Oh, I don't think she wanted him for sex." Misdadd corrected, sounding irritated as they approached the guest house.

"What makes you say that?" Rattigan quizzed, picking up on the Zebra's tone.

"That." Misdadd grunted, pointing her hoof to the steps of the guest house. The corpse of the male coyote prostitute was strewn on the stone steps. He was naked with his wrists and feet bound, he had lash marks from whipping, tiny cuts dotted his body, but the injury that was the obvious cause of death was the massive slit across his throat.

"Well, that's unexpected." Rattigan commented, immune to the gore.

"He was one of my best whores, he could make ten grand for me a week, easily." Misdadd complained.

"We all have our kinks." Rattigan shrugged.

"Oh please, Podraic, a bit of roughness in the bedroom is one thing, but this…" Misdadd trailed off, clearly frustrated.

"I am sorry for the loss of your employee, but we have more pressing matters at this moment." Rattigan reminded.

"Of course," Misdadd replied, stepping over the bloody corpse with Felicia, carrying Rattigan, mirroring her action. Misdadd opened the door, expecting to find a very bloody living room, but instead found it as it should be expect for one thing; Buttercup sat on an armchair, swiping away at a tablet. She didn't look like a killer, let alone a criminal, but the façade of innocence was long gone. Everyone knew what this mammal was capable of. A pair of jeans and a simple black blouse covered her slim body, with a gold buttercup broach pinned on the left breast pocket. Her big green eyes were framed by a large pair of glasses, and her white wool looked pristine.

"Sorry about the mess outside," Dawn Bellwether opened nonchalantly, "but he was starting to stink out the house."

"Despite the fact that I am disappointed that you had to indulge your peculiar tastes on my property, there is a matter of greater importance at hand." Misdadd said, her anger only slightly veiled.

"I trust you're speaking about Big?" Bellwether assumed, putting down her tablet on a nearby coffee table.

"Did you order the hit?" Rattigan cut to the chase.

"Yes." Bellwether answered easily.

"Why?!" Misdadd snapped.

"He was the last major crime boss that opposed us." Bellwether replied, unfazed by the fury on Misdadd and Rattigan's faces.

"But you broke the code; there are rules, even among criminals." Rattigan argued.

"It was a perfect chance. I saw the opportunity and I took it. You should both be thanking me." Bellwether reversed.

"Thanking you? Do you realise what you've done? You've made us look dishonourable. All the smaller gangs that work under us will think we can’t be trusted, they will rebel against us." Misdadd explained bitterly.

"No, they won't, they'll fear you now. This will keep them in line; I mean, would you risk pissing off the mob bosses who took out one of the most feared mammals in Zootopia? I don't think so." Bellwether said smugly.

"Even if that comes to pass, you've just put a massive target on us The Hood and Little John were allies with Big, they'll come after us now, harder than ever." Rattigan warned.

"Oh no, two crooks who are over the hill and won't kill anyone, let's run for the hills." Bellwether mocked.

"You've never done anything this reckless in the past, what are you planning?" Misdadd interrogated.

"Easy, I just started a domino effect." Bellwether said with confidence, "Now that Big is gone, there will be a power vacuum in Tundra Town. All the smaller gangs will start battling for the top spot; it will be chaos, and so the two mayoral candidates, Moon and Bastille, will need to make loads of promises to clean up the district. But, seeing as we have most of the cops of Tundra Town in our pocket, the crisis will only deepen and, when it's at its worst, we'll invite Bastille and Moon for a chat, offering to clean up their mess in exchange for friendship."

"And what makes you think they'll agree? Moon has been pushing his anti-drug stance for years, and Bastille really wants to put us away." Misdadd clashed.

"Easy; I've got dirt on them both. And if it gets out, their careers won't just be over; their lives won't be worth living." Bellwether revealed "No matter who wins the election, we'll have the keys to city hall."

"A clever plan, Buttercup, but you're forgetting another thorn in our collective side; The MCB and Bogo's cops. No matter how much we've tried, we've never managed to make them associates." Rattigan brought up.

"True, we may have no one in the MCB," Bellwether gave a knowing grin, picking up her tablet and showing it to the two mob bosses "but we have a pair of eyes in Precinct 1."

The screen of the tablet showed a live feed from a hidden camera. The image was of Officer Nick Wilde smiling, " _Those glasses look really good on you, Carrots."_ the fox flirted.

" _I'm not sure about the style."_ the voice of Judy came through the speaker, causing Bellwether's smile to grown even larger.

000

"I'm not sure about the style." Judy moaned, fixing the thick framed glasses on her face.

"You look hot." Nick stated with wiggle of his eyebrows.

"You would say that, you perv." Judy brushed off. The partners were in their cubicle, typing up a report on an armadillo burglar they caught coming down a fire escape with a stolen laptop, but was afraid of heights so he called 911 to rescue him. Suffice it to say, he was not the brightest lamp in the street. When they had arrived back at Precinct 1 with the hapless armadillo, they were told by Gleeson the morbid news of Mr. Big's assassination in the cemetery. Judy immediately tried to call Fru Fru to console her, but was unsurprised to find the shrew's phone was switched off. Nick and Judy could hardly believe that Big was gone. Sure, he had tried to kill them once, but the two cops respected the old school mob boss. They asked Bogo if they could assist in the investigation, but he denied them, seeing as they had history with the departed. Skye and Jack had arrived back at Precinct 1 looking defeated, and when Nick asked about what happened, Jack said he needed to make his statement before he forgot a single detail. The two friends agreed to talk later.

When the pair had arrived at their cubicle, they found Judy's new glasses waiting for her; she begrudgingly put them on, much to the delight of a certain red fox. The two had just finished their report and were about to go back out on patrol, when a paw softly knocked on the side of their cubicle, along with a friendly, "Good afternoon, officers." They turned around to see Trevor Moon smiling at them.

"Trevor? What a surprise." Judy's face lit up, happy to see the sixty something wolf.

"A pleasant one, I hope. Nice glasses, by the way." Moon complimented, before turning to Nick, "I don't believe we've been formally introduced, Officer Wilde."

"It's great to meet you in person, Mr. Moon." Nick said honestly, shaking the mayoral hopefuls paw.

"Please, call me Trevor." Moon replied.

"So, what brings you to Precinct 1?" Judy asked.

"A photo op with some of the ZPD's finest, but I was just talking to Chief Bogo and he mentioned that you two are being split up." Moon revealed.

"I'm afraid so." Nick admitted, crossing his arms.

"They're doing it through a tactical promotion; I'm being made a sergeant and put to SWAT." Judy elaborated.

"I'm so sorry," Moon sympathised, "you stood up for what you believed in and declared your love, yet you're being punished for it."

"Yeah, but it was worth it, at least we're not hiding anymore." Judy said brightly, taking a hold of Nick's paw.

"Well, maybe we can help each other out?" Moon smiled.

"Go on." Nick knew the sound of a deal anywhere.

"You two helped boost my poll numbers overnight, I'm almost neck and neck with Bastille, so I figure I owe you. If I get elected, I'll make sure you won't be separated."

"Really?" Judy squeaked.

"You two have the best arrest record in the whole ZPD, so it would be stupid to split you up over your romance. If I get in, I can pull some strings with the Commissioner." Moon promised.

"And in return?" Nick asked, knowing there was a catch.

"Come downstairs and take a few photos with me; it'll improve my poll numbers." Moon suggested.

"Sounds fair," Judy nodded.

"Yeah, you got yourself a deal, Trevor." Nick grinned.

Ten minutes later Nick, Judy, Clawhauser, Nala and Bogo were in the lobby flanking Trevor Moon as the various journalists took photos and fired questions at the seasoned councilman. "Mr. Moon, what are your thoughts on the brutal killing of a known crime lord; Mr. Big and two of his bodyguards?" ZNN reporter Peter Moosebridge inquired.

But, before Moon could reply, everyone's phones began to ring at the same time, causing a cacophony of annoying ringtones. Everyone scrambled for their smartphones and were met with a video playing on the screen. Nick could feel his blood boiling as he saw who was on screen; it was Robin Loxley, dressed in his Hood uniform, and this image was on everyone's phone. " _Good afternoon, Zootopia, I speak to you today, not as an outlaw but, as an ordinary mammal."_ Robin began.

"What the hell is this?" Nick seethed, baring his fangs.

" _This city is rotten with corruption. Only a handful of cops and elected officials are free from the grip of the gangsters who treat this city like a war zone. In a city like this, is there any hope for justice? The answer is yes; but only if we go and get it."_ Robin continued, but Judy and Bogo were more focused on the scorn plastered on Nick's muzzle. The image then changed to a bound and gagged Thumper chained to a lamppost, " _This is Sam Edwards, better known as Thumper; this bastard is responsible for the deaths of twenty two mammals at the PJ apartment complex in Sherwood twenty years ago, along with peddling drugs through this city. Here's what I'm offering you; either let the cops take him in, let him go to trial where he may walk away, or you can deliver justice yourself. He is somewhere in Sherwood. The choice is yours."_

"Oh no," Judy gasped before looking to Nick, who had never looked so angry and so ashamed in his whole life.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! Bellwether is Buttercup! Big is dead! Robin's gone psycho?! What did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Next time on Take a Stand; The ZPD mobilises to keep a mob killing from Thumper, The M.M gang begin their heist and Nick and Judy face their toughest challenge yet. Please Review and C YA SOON!)
> 
>  


	18. Family Fun

** Chapter 18- Family Fun. **

It didn't take long for the ZPD to find Thumper; Wolford and Delgato had found him chained to the lamppost beside the Sherwood community centre…but a crowd of about twenty mammals had found him as well. Delgato sprung from the passenger seat of the cruiser and had to tackle a hare who was pummelling Thumper's face. The lion cop was about to cuff the boxing hare when a glass bottle smashed beside him. Neither Wolford or Delgato saw where the bottle had been launched from, but they did see the crowd of angry animals was growing by the second. The partners positioned themselves to shield the semi conscious Thumper as they radioed for backup. Five minutes passed and a dozen more cops had arrived on the scene, but a hundred more mammals had joined the mob wanting to tear Thumper apart. Twenty minutes later, Bogo had declared it a riot and sent in his riot trained officers to quell the three hundred strong crowd trying to get their paws on Thumper. It was impossible to evacuate the arsonist as the angry citizens of Sherwood had encircled the cops guarding the rabbit. The media soon got wind of the situation and arrived in their news vans and made the event even worse.

Nick and Judy had been told to stay at the station by the chief due to the fact that the Hood might be at the location, hiding. The duo was at the front desk with Gleeson, who had brought up the ZNN live feed on his laptop, "Damn, they really want a piece of Thumper." Gleeson commented.

"The M.M gang have gone too far this time. I mean, robbing from the rich is one thing but this…this is barbaric." Judy gave her opinion

"Barbaric?" Gleeson scoffed, "This is justice."

Judy gave a questionable look to the seasoned cop and responded "You're joking, right? This is anarchy; everyone deserves their day in court."

"Sorry Hopps, but I have to disagree with you on this one." Gleeson replied, holding up his hooves.

"But, you're a cop; you can't believe this is any type of justice? If society acted like this all the time, it would be a catastrophe." Judy argued in a low voice.

"Yeah, with most cases we need the courts, but that piece of shit doesn't deserve to live." Gleeson defended.

"We can't make exceptions, if we did that, we'd be no better than the criminals of this city." Judy stated.

"You try saying that after nearly four decades on the force. The stuff I've seen would make your blood curdle." Gleeson rebuffed, "I was there that day the PJ apartment building went up in smoke. All those screams, the smells, and seeing the fire crews recover body after body left a scar on me."

Judy let out a sigh, she knew she wouldn't win this argument, seeing as Gleeson had seen the destruction caused by Thumper first hand. She went to ask Nick his opinion, but quickly realised he was no longer standing next to her; he was looking at the dispatch monitor intently. "Um Nick?" Judy called out; he had been quiet since seeing his father's video message, while she fixed her ill fitting specs.

"Yeah, Carrots?" Nick replied, his emerald eyes fixated on the monitor.

"What are you looking at?" Judy wondered.

"I'm looking for any alarm trips that flash up on the system." Nick answered, his gaze still on the computer monitor.

"Given everything that's going on, should you really be focusing on that?" Judy asked, confused by her love's actions.

"That riot in Sherwood is exactly why I'm looking for an alarm." Nick answered vaguely.

Judy connected the dots before voicing her realisation, "It's a distraction."

"Spot on, Fluff." Nick confirmed, "Like I said before, Loxley's M.O isn't violence; he knew the public would go after Thumper and, in turn, the police would rush to protect him, causing this riot."

"I don't mean to speak in stereotypes, but that fox is sly." Gleeson chuckled lightly.

"You have no idea." Nick agreed. A second later, the intruder alert at the Watering Hole Real Estate building flashed up for a couple of seconds before disappearing as if someone had hacked the system "Gotcha'." Nick smirked.

000

Marian Wilde breathed in the night air and prepared herself for what she was about to do; even though this plan was formulated with haste, it was perfect. She was on the roof of a skyscraper looking over at her target; Watering Hole Real Estate, a company which was owned and operated by Madame Misdadd. This building's cyber security was way too sophisticated for a company that rented out condos. Marian knew that Misdadd's illegal activities went through this building as well, namely her video chats with the elusive Buttercup. " _Maid, are you in position?"_ Robin's voice crackled in her earpiece.

"Of Course, Hood, ready to start the job." Marian assured, speaking into the mic attached to her lapel. Marian was dressed in the same heist gear she had worn over two decades before and it fit her like a glove. Her outfit consisted of a small black leather jacket with lots of pockets for tech, a white and black bodysuit built for flexibility, along with a tranq pistol holstered on her thigh accompanied by two black batons, and to top it off, her muzzle was covered by a lilac veil to protect her identity. "I'll go in first and overwrite the security system, then move in on my signal." Marian reminded.

" _Got it, good luck, Maid,"_ Little John replied.

" _Be careful, my love."_ Robin's voice betrayed him, he sounded scared for the vixen.

"Don't worry about me, this will be no bother." Marian grinned with confidence as she lifted the grappling gun from off the ground before firing it across the hundred metre gap between the buildings. The gas powered grapple pierced the stone of the patience shed on top the building, she then tied off her end of the grapple on a vent pipe before attaching a clip from the line to her belt before fearlessly zipping through the night sky to her destination. As soon as it was safe to land, she unclipped her safety harness and swiftly moved to the lockbox that connected to the router for the building. She got out a small spray can of liquid nitrogen and froze the heavy duty padlock before smashing it to pieces with one of her batons. She opened the lockbox and could already see on the small screen that the silent alarm had been triggered by her opening the lockbox, so she quickly remedied that by plugging in a USB stick into the empty port with a virus to disable all alarms, security cameras and landline phones. When the screen flashed up her initials M.M, she grinned with satisfaction before speaking into her comm., "Ok boys, I'm in, time to have some fun."

" _Not bad Maid, no rust on you."_ Little John replied.

"Head to the vault on the twentieth floor, when you've taken care of the guards, I'll send in the drones to help get the cash out." Marian instructed.

" _On it,"_  Robin panted, he sounded like he was running already.

Marian's USB stick also had a program to disable all the electronic locks in the skyscraper, so she had no need to bust open the lock to the stairs leading to the top floor, which was coincidently her target floor. Madame Misdadd was the majority shareholder of the company and, of course, had the biggest and most plush office in the building so, naturally, it was on the top floor with the best view, but it also had an around the clock security unit of four guards patrolling the floor, but that wasn't going to be a problem for Marian. The vixen quietly went down the small staircase and peeked through the door to see the back of an ocelot walking down the hall. She easily snuck up behind him and put him in a sleeper hold. The cat thrashed for a dozen or so seconds before his body went limp. Marian softly placed the sleeping ocelot on the ground and searched for the three remaining guards on the floor. She was walking by the ladies bathroom when she heard the hand dryer blowing. Marian hugged the wall and waited for the mammal to appear. The door opened and a female Jaguar strolled out and within half a second Marian struck the Leopard in the knees with both batons causing a roar of pain from the guard as it fell to the ground. Marian then slammed the bathroom door into the Leopard's head, knocking her out.

The roar of the defeated guard had caused the other two sentinels to race over and investigate. Marian's eyes shot up to see a wolf pulling a gun from his jacket ten feet away, so Marian threw one of her batons directly at his head, rendering him unconscious. She then heard loud thumping footsteps charging at her. She looked to her left to see a hulking Bison making a bee line for her with his horns pointing at her. She smirked as she somersaulted over the charging mammal and got his horns stuck in the wall. As the Bison tried to free himself, she got out her tranq pistol and fired a dart into his back, sending him to snoozeville. Marian let out a disappointed sigh, she had wanted a little bit more of a challenge for her first mission in over two decades, but these guards were just pathetic. She picked up the baton she had thrown and made her way through the double doors to Madame Misdadd's office. Marian gave an impressed whistle when she saw the fancy furniture, antique ornaments and sculptures that decorated the room; all of it worth a fortune, but she was more concerned with Misdadd's computer. She went over to the desk to find a pretty simple desktop setup with two monitors; one for the computer and one with static security feeds. Marian inserted her virus holding USB stick and bypassed the password screen quickly; she then reactivated the CCTV cameras so that only she could see them and chuckled as she saw Robin and Little John take care of the guards with their signature flair.

" _Maid, we're at the vault, open it up and send in the drones."_ Robin relayed.

Marian brought up the vault's security system and deactivated all safety protocols, "Open sesame." she replied before getting out her smartphone and swiping a few buttons, "Sending drones to you now." This heist was going well…too well. Marian had a niggling feeling that something was about to go wrong, and a few seconds later she spotted a problem on the CCTV feed; a police cruiser had just pulled up outside the building and out stepped Nick and Judy, "Shit." Marian cursed before speaking into her mic, "Hood we have a big problem."

000

"It doesn't look like there's a robbery in progress," Judy observed. Everything seemed quiet.

"Oh yeah, then why is there no security guards at the desk?" Nick said, pointing at the empty desk.

"Maybe they went to the bathroom?" Judy shrugged.

"At the same time?" Nick shot down the theory.

"Yeah, you're right, that does seem suspicious. Let me get Gleeson to call the building landl-" Judy began, but was interrupted by the sound of smashing glass from above them. Both cops looked up to see a now smashed window pane with high spec drones flying in through the hole.

"Drones?" Judy breathed, "Looks like your dad has gone high tech."

"That bastard,” Nik cursed, “Radio Bogo; we need all the help we can get." Nick semi growled as he rushed over to the trunk of the cruiser.

Judy spoke quickly into her radio "Chief, this is Hopps, please respond."

A few seconds passed before an annoyed sounding Bogo answered, " _Hopps, I'm trying to contain this riot!"_

"The M.M gang are in the middle of a robbery at the Watering Hole Real Estate building." Hopps said bluntly, her eyes looking up to see one of the drones emerge from the smashed pane with a white bag hanging from it, most likely full of cash.

" _What?! How do you know this?"_ Bogo demanded.

"We're at the scene, sir, we need back up." Judy informed, still looking up.

" _I can't spare anyone…ugh, right, listen to me; if you can apprehend the M.M gang, do so, but if it gets too dangerous, retreat, do you understand? I'll send back up as soon as I can."_  Bogo ordered.

"Yes, sir," Judy replied. She then got out her phone and texted Skye as to what was happening before telling Nick, "I've told Skye what's going on, hopefully they can back us up."

"Good." Nick said in a still voice. He was wearing a quiver full of arrows and had armed himself with his bow.

"Where the heck did that come from?" Judy gawped at the weapon.

"Jack gave it to me, Loxley taught me how to use one of these, that decision is going bite to him in the ass." Nick informed, walking towards the entrance, but all of sudden metallic security shutters slammed down, barring the way, "Son of a bitch."

"He hacked the system?" Judy guessed.

"It must be the third member of the gang." Nick theorised.

"What now?" Judy asked, trying to suss out a way to gain entry.

Nick looked up at the smashed window the drones were flying in and out of and got an idea. He got out the grapple arrow from his quiver and said to Judy, "Hold on tight to me."

"Why?" she asked with slight worry, but did as she was told.

"We're taking the express way up." Nick charmed before firing the grapple arrow. It embedded itself in the frame of the window, he then pressed the switch on his bow and the two soared into the sky at high speed, with Judy gasping in shock all the way. Both of them landed on their feet, taking care to avoid the broken glass on the floor. Judy got her bearings while Nick yanked out the grapple arrow from the frame.

"Give me a little warning next time, you dumb fox." Judy griped, taking out her tranq sidearm.

"I did say it was the express way." Nick smiled, pulling a sleeper arrow from his quiver and positioning it on the bow.

"So, what now? You're the M.M expert." Judy inquired.

"We follow the drones, I'll take point, and you keep five feet behind on my six." Nick planned out loud.

"Lead the way." Judy nodded.

Nick had his arrow drawn and pointed ahead of him, ready to attack, his emerald eyes alternating from looking at where the drones were flying to and from and for any sign of the Hood or Little John. Both of the cops were keeping their eyes peeled when SLAM! A metal security shutter plunged down from the ceiling ,separating Nick and Judy, "Carrots!" Nick barked with worry.

"I'm fine." Judy's voice assured him from the other side of the shutter, "Must be the M.M gang messing with us. I'll try and find a way around."

"Be careful…I love you." Nick cautioned and comforted.

"I love you too, stay safe." Judy reciprocated before the sound of her dashing feet running could be heard.

Nick then turned his attention back to the hallway, but instantly froze when he saw who standing twenty feet away, it was the Hood. Nick could feel his heart rate pick up as he looked at his father. He resisted the urge to let his arrow fly, father and son stared at one another for a moment, before Robin opened with, "Hello, Nick."

"Take that hood down, I want to see your face." Nick skipped the pleasantries.

Robin obliged and lowered the green leather hood, so his child could see him, "Sorry I didn't recognise you back at the arena." he said with caution.

"Is that the only thing you're sorry for?" Nick asked with bitterness.

Robin let out a small laugh before saying in a sad voice, "If I started to apologise for all the crap I've done, I'd be here all night…look at you, an honest cop. I'm proud of you, son."

"Don't call me that!" Nick snarled, "You don't get to call me that!"

"Nick, please." Robin urged, looking hurt, "I know we're on opposite sides, but I'm your dad, I don't want to hurt you."

"That's convenient, because I want to bash your skull in and throw your lying ass in prison!" Nick spat.

"Look, there is more going on here than you and me; Zootopia is in danger, I need to save it." Robin reasoned.

"Don't act all high and mighty with me! Your holier than thou act might work on most mammals, but not on me; you're just a thief, plain and simple." Nick replied, each word dripping with venom.

"I wish that was true." Robin sighed, before he turned on his heel and ran down the hallway away from Nick. The vulpine cop fired his arrow, but Robin sensed the shot was coming and rolled to avoid it. Nick gave chase to the outlaw, knowing full well that Robin was distracting him from the heist, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to miss the chance to take down the Hood. Nick already had a fresh sleeper arrow ready as he entered the atrium of the twentieth floor, noticing that a second window had been smashed open and the money carrying drones were escaping with bags and bags of cash. There was a large glass aquarium in the middle of the atrium with dozens of fish swimming around, oblivious to what was transpiring around them, Nick walked towards the aquarium thinking that Robin would've taken cover behind the structure, but he was wrong. A silver tailed arrow landed at Nick's feet and let out a piercing shriek that made Nick fall to his knees and cover his ears with his paws. The aquarium's glass and the building’s nearby windows smashed due to the high frequency, causing water and fish to spill everywhere. Nick had zero time to react as another arrow zipped through the air and expertly sliced through the strap of Nick's quiver, letting it fall to the ground, and sending the arrows clattering on the marble floor, Nick scrambled for an arrow to defend himself with. He went to grab one and a foot stepped on his paw. Nick looked up to see a sorrowful Robin aiming a sleeper arrow at him, "You can't beat me, Nick, I've been an archer a lot longer than you." the outlaw stated in a morose tone.

"So, what now, are you going to shoot me?" Nick dared, his anger clear on his face.

"If I have to," Robin replied in a shaky voice. Nick noticed his father's hands were trembling slightly as he held the bow.

"No, you won't," Nick defied, "you could've shot me with a sleeper arrow at least six times by now, and yet you used a sonic arrow to disarm me." Nick looked at his surroundings and an idea quickly formed.

"Please, Nick, just let me restrain you, you've lost this round." Robin requested, the conflict clear on his muzzle.

"I have a counter offer…" Nick smirked and, with his free paw, he grabbed a shard of glass from the shattered aquarium and slashed at his father's leg, causing Robin to howl out in pain and drop his bow. Nick then delivered a gut punch to Robin, causing the infamous outlaw to stumble back and fall into the puddle of water from the aquarium. Before Robin could react, Nick grabbed a loose taser arrow strewn on the floor and fired it at the puddle, sending an electric shock through the older fox's body and causing him to wail in agony before falling to the marble floor. Nick went over to his fallen father and checked his pulse. He was alive, at least. Nick got out his handcuffs and restrained the unconscious Robin, but not before he removed the outlaw's quiver and put it on himself.

Nick dragged his father's body away from the broken glass and leant him against the wall, before reaching for his radio to contact Judy. But, before he could, a loud shout of "Rob!" could be heard through the atrium.

Nick turned around to see an angry looking Little John, dressed in combat armour and wielding a thick wooden staff. Nick saw the wrath in the grizzly bear's face and decided to play on it, "Long time no see Uncle Johnny." he teased.

"Nick, you don't realise what you're doing!" Little John seethed.

"I'm taking down a criminal, and I'm about to take down one more." Nick promised, drawing a new arrow from his recently acquired quiver.

Little John let out a frustrated grunt before saying, "I'm sorry, kid, but I'm going to need to teach you to respect your elders."

"Bring it on." Nick taunted, and with that, Little John let out a roar of rage as he charged at Nick, ready to swing the staff at his 'Nephew'. with neither of them knowing who was going to win this match up.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! Robin has been defeated! It’s Little John VS Nick! Will Maid Marian find what she's looking for? So next time on Take A Stand; Nick faces Little John, Jack and Skye race to the rescue and Judy faces a life or death situation. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review, like, reblog, fave, follow or comment. It's all appreciated. Please review and C YA SOON...)


	19. Misconceptions

** Chapter 19- Misconceptions **

Judy's amethyst eyes were carefully assessing the corridor she was walking down. Every ten feet or so she would find an unconscious mammal with a tranq arrow sticking out of them; the Hood had been here and his expertise was clear. She followed the corridor around, hoping to find a way back to Nick, but was met only with disappointment when she saw another security shutter blocking her path. "Darn it." Judy huffed as she looked up at one of the many surveillance cameras on the ceiling of the hallway; whomever had closed the security shutters was obviously monitoring Nick and Judy from a security terminal, and a big corporate headquarters like this would not have multiple terminals, so as to prevent infiltration. She needed to find the main security hub of this building, because she knew that's where the elusive third member of the M.M gang would be and she was determined to bring them down. She grabbed her radio, pushed the button and said, "Hopps to dispatch, do you copy?"

" _This is dispatch, Hopps, what do you need?"_ Gleeson asked, sounding concerned.

"Do we have a record of where the security room is in the Watering Hole Real Estate building?" the Bunny cop inquired.

" _Hang on,"_ Gleeson instructed. The sound of typing could be heard, " _it's on the top floor next to the chairwoman's office, floor forty."_

"Thanks, Gleeson." Judy replied, before looking at the elevator and pondered whether or not to use it. If the third member of the M.M gang had so easily activated the security shutters, there was no reason this mystery assailant couldn't mess with the elevators. "The stairs it is." Judy decided, walking to the stairwell. She was currently on the twentieth floor, so she had twenty flights of stairs to climb to get to her target. Luckily for her, she was arguably the most physically fit cop in Precinct 1.

Twenty floors above, Marian was having trouble focusing on the task at hand. She was meant to keep both Nick and Judy away from Robin and little John, but had typed in the shutter command too late, and now father and son were battling it out before her horrified eyes. Marian finally tore her eyes away from the confrontation and continued to search for the origin of Buttercup's webcam signal. Marian eventually found an encrypted file marked 'BTCP' which she guessed meant Buttercup, but she also found some strange files. They were all invoices for fuel and electricity on an industrial level, but then she found a simple text file with an email address within DB0701, "What the?" Marian uttered. The ZDOC stood for Zootopia Department of Correction, meaning whoever Buttercup was, this mammal had a prisoner number and thus was doing webcam chats from prison. She began to copy all the data she could onto the USB stick before checking on the progress of the fight between Robin and Nick. However, when she saw what had happened she let out a huge gasp; Robin was knocked out and restrained, while Nick and Little John glared at one another. She was about to radio John to tell him to distract Nick and grab Robin, when she realised she had her own problem to contend with; Judy Hopps appeared on another screen. The determined rabbit had just made it to the top floor.

Judy had her tranq gun ready as she walked out onto the top floor of the corporate skyscraper. She peered down the corridor to see a snoozing Bison with his horns stuck in the wall, an incapacitated Ocelot, a sleeping Wolf and an unconscious leopard. This third member of the M.M gang was ruthless, to say the least. This mammal had taken care of four highly trained security guards without killing them; killing was easy, keeping them alive was hard. She was about to walk by the female leopard, who's head was propping open the bathroom door, when she heard the cat groan with pain. Judy instinctively crouched down to the cat and asked caringly, "Ma'am, are you ok?"

"W-wha?" the drowsy leopard sounded, looking at Judy with confused anger.

"You've been assaulted Ma'am, you shouldn't move in case of a neck inj-" Judy advised before being thrown against the wall with brute force, her tranq pistol scattering to the floor as the Leopard delivered a sucker punch to the left side of Judy's face sending a ripple of pain to course through her, but also sent her much hated glasses flying off her face and cracking on the ground. Still stunned by the barrage, Judy had no time to react as the leopard's paw gripped her tightly by the throat and held her against the wall.

"It's nothing personal, bunny," the leopard snarled, "but the boss told me to take care of any cops who come sniffing on this floor."

Judy attempted to fight her way out of the leopard's grip. Judy was strong for a bunny, but not as strong as this muscled madam. Judy reached for her night stick on her belt with her left paw, but the leopard spotted what she was doing and promptly grabbed Judy by the wrist and gave it a quick twist; the snap of bone was drowned out by the wail of pain from Judy's mouth. It was at this moment Judy began to feel scared, not like when she found Sher Khan's corpse or fighting Walter and Jesse on the train, no, this was the same terror she felt when she was nine years old when, the then aggressive, Gideon Grey pinned her to the floor with just one paw. The old scars on her cheek burned as she felt the pressure increase on her trachea. She couldn't shout, she couldn't scream and she couldn't cry…all she could do was stare with bloodshot amethyst eyes filled with fright. Judy felt weak, her body was starving for oxygen. She stopped thrashing and her vision began to blur. If this was how she was going to die, she wanted to think of something other than the torment she was suffering; her mind went to Nick, of course, they were under the bridge once more and he was holding her so tenderly. Her train of thought travelled back to Bunny Burrow; she just helped her mom make dinner, but she was happy. Another image came into view and was the most recent; herself, Nick and Luna were having a paint fight while laughing like fools. ‘ _Nick, Luna, Marian, Mom, Dad, Benjamin, Nala, Jack, Skye, Mason…I love you all’_ She thought as she waited for the pain to end.

THWACK!

Judy fell to the floor of the hallway and immediately gasped for air, her strained sore throat taking in as much air as possible. She was trying to focus her senses, but all her body could do was cough and pant. What Judy heard next was a barrage of colourful swear words (Not suitable for a T rated fiction that's for sure, let's just say there were a lot of F words and quite a few C words) roared by a furious English accent in-between whacks of something hard hitting flesh. Her blurred eyes saw a midsized mammal pummelling the Leopard with a pair of batons whilst shouting curses. When the figure finished beating the once again unconscious feline, she slotted the dual batons back onto her belt, before turning to the injured bunny. Judy, who was still in a state of panic, attempted to scurry away from the approaching figure, but was too weak to get any real distance, "Easy." her saviour said, holding up her paws to show she meant no harm, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Judy's eyes finally came back into focus. Her saviour was a red furred vixen with an athletic body, wearing an outfit that reminded Judy of a spy heroine in an action movie, her muzzle was covered by a lilac veil. But, when Judy saw the masked mammal's eyes, she knew exactly who it was; pools of navy blue looking at her with such attentiveness and love that Judy breathed, "Marian?"

A trace of fear flickered through Marian's eyes, but she hastily extinguished it as she removed her veil and spoke kindly, "Hello, my dear."

Judy was shocked, she was confused, but all she wanted right now was comfort. Despite her broken wrist, Judy forced herself up and threw herself at Marian, who opened her arms to the dismayed bunny. "I-I thought I was going to die…" Judy sobbed while trying to inhale air.

"Oh, my sweet Judy, I'm so sorry." Marian soothed, her words and touch was warming.

"I was so scared." Judy wheezed, her throat had taken a lot of punishment and she couldn't talk properly.

"Hush now, it's going to be ok." Marian lulled, still hugging the bunny she saw as a daughter.

Judy pulled out of the hug and hissed in pain, her wrist was broken and her neck felt like it had been in a vice but, still, the cop in her couldn't be kept down, "So, you're the third member of the M.M gang?" she asked with the weakest of smiles.

"Guilty as charged." Marian sighed, "My first job in over a quarter of a century and I get caught, figures."

"So, the other robberies?" Judy asked with a cough.

"Weren't me, the boys needed my help on this one though, I couldn't resist." Marian explained, checking to make sure there were no lacerations on Judy's neck.

"But, why Marian?" Judy pushed, her body shaking from the leftover adrenaline in her system.

"Because, some things are worth risking freedom for, Zootopia is in danger. Look, I hacked into…" Marian began to justify her actions when she spotted a pair of glasses on the floor, the lenses were smashed, they looked they had also been trampled on, but that wasn't the alarming part. The fact that wires were protruding from the frames made Marian nervous; it was a hidden cam. She went over to the glasses and got out her custom made smartphone and tried to pinpoint where the camera was transmitting to.

"W-what are you doing?" Judy questioned, her voice still struggling.

"These glasses are yours, right?" Marian asked back, her tone serious as she swiped away at her phone.

"Yeah, I got them this afternoon." Judy answered.

Marian found where the signal had last transmitted to before the glasses were smashed, and it made her blood run cold; DB0701 it was transmitting to Buttercup! "Shit, shit, shit." Marian cursed thrice.

"Marian?" Judy asked, wondering what had got the vixen so agitated.

"Where do you get them?" Marian interrogated.

"The ZPD's contract optician left them for me on my desk." Judy recalled.

"First the poisoned pizza, and now spy cams in specs, the ZPD's been compromised." Marian stressed.

"Spy cams, wait, what do you mean?" Judy was becoming anxious again.

"Those glasses you had on had a camera in them! They were transmitting to Buttercup!" Marian worried for her son and his girlfriend's safety.

"So, that whole time…I went to the bathroom wearing those!" Judy shrieked.

"That isn't the point! Did you wear those at your apartment?" Marian panicked.

"No." Judy answered with certainty.

"Good…what about Luna, have you seen her today?" Marian continued.

"No…wait. Her photo! Nick has a photo of her on his desk." Judy realised.

"Bollocks! It won't take Buttercup long to connect the dots." Marian said with worry.

"What do we do?" Judy got to her feet, wincing in pain.

Marian looked at Judy and took a calming breath before proposing, "You're going to let me go."

"Huh?" Judy reacted.

"You are going to let me go, then I'm going to help Robin and John get out of here. I'll put someone on to guard Victoria and Luna, then after you go to the hospital to get checked out, you're going to bring Nick to my house and we're going to a have a family meeting." Marian instructed.

"Marian, I can't let you go. I'm a cop, you're a criminal, I have to bring you in." Judy replied, sounding determined.

Marian lowered her head and said solemnly, "Then you best grab your tranq gun off the floor and shoot me."

Judy knew Marian would walk out of here, but she also knew she wouldn't fight back. Judy scooped up her tranq pistol from her feet and held it up with a shaky paw, "Just let me put the cuffs on you." Judy bargained.

"Do what you have to do, but remember, the lives of everyone we love are at risk." Marian spoke, closing her eyes and preparing for the sting of the tranquilliser dart.

Judy flicked the safety off and her finger lightly touched the trigger, but she couldn't pull it. With a weak, "Sweet cheese and crackers." she put the safety back on and put her gun back in its holster.

"Thank you, Judy." Marian smiled, hugging her hopefully future daughter in law once more.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Judy criticised herself, her throat still aching.

"You're doing the right thing," Marian assured "now get on the radio. You need to tell Nick something."

000

Nick dragged his father's body away from the broken glass and leant him against the wall before reaching for his radio to contact Judy, but before he could, a loud shout of "Rob!" could be heard through the atrium.

Nick turned around to see an angry looking Little John, dressed in combat armour and wielding a thick wooden staff. Nick saw the wrath in the grizzly bear's face and decided to play on it, "Long time no see Uncle Johnny." he teased.

"Nick, you don't realise what you're doing!" Little John seethed.

"I'm taking down a criminal and I'm about to take down one more." Nick promised, drawing a new arrow from his recently acquired quiver.

Little John let out a frustrated grunt before saying, "I'm sorry, kid, but I'm going to need to teach you to respect your elders."

"Bring it on." Nick taunted and with that Little John let out a roar of rage as he charged at Nick, ready to swing the staff at his 'Nephew', with neither of them knowing who was going to win this match up. Little John swung his staff horizontally and Nick ducked under and used his bow to strike at Little John's knees, but it had no effect; the bear didn't even flinch and countered by kicking the fox and sending him crashing to the marble floor a few feet away. Nick let out a growl of pain and aggravation before spotting the staff swinging down at him again and rolled away at the very last second. He got to his feet and fired off a taser arrow, which Little John deflected with his staff with swiftness and precision, then Little John sent the simple wooden weapon plunging into Nick's gut, winding him and putting him on the floor once more.

"I'd say stay down, but I got a feeling you'd ignore my advice." Little John sassed, twirling his weapon mockingly.

"We agree on one thing, then." Nick replied gruffly as he got to his feet and let fly another arrow which Little John knocked away easily.

"Give it up, Nick, I've sparred with your old man for nearly thirty years and he's a hundred times better archer than you." Little John condemned. Then all of a sudden a grapple arrow zipped by Little John's face and into a nearby wall, but Nick didn't fire it. Little John quickly looked to see where the other end of the grapple lead, but was met with a pair of feet paws smacking him in the face and knocking him off his feet.

As Little John hit the floor, Jack Savage landed with a lot more grace while shouting, "Nick shoot a taser arrow at his left foot!" Nick did as he was instructed, while Jack fired at the right foot; both arrows hit their mark and sent a double hit of electricity through the grizzly bear's large form, rendering him unconscious. When Little John finally stopped twitching, Nick breathed a huge sigh of relief; it was over. They had beat the M.M gang. "I knew you'd need my help." Jack smirked, setting his bow down on the floor and producing some cable ties to bind Little John.

"I had it under control." Nick brushed off, already feeling the bruises forming under his fur.

"Sure you did." Jack grinned, lifting Little John's heavy arms to position them for restraining.

"How'd you get in here?" Nick queried, checking Robin, who was still asleep and bound.

"I grappled through that window," Jack nodded at the second smashed window the drones had flown through. "Skye, Nottingham and Agent P are downstairs with SWAT trying to open the security shutters."

Five minutes later, the twentieth floor of the skyscraper was crawling SWAT and MCB agents. Robin and Little John had been moved onto a bench and had just regained consciousness, Nottingham looking delighted, Skye appeared satisfied, Jack seemed conflicted and Nick still looked angry, despite being victorious, and of course Robin picked up on this. "Bloody hell, Nicky, you got a face like a smacked arse, you'd never think you’d caught me." Robin chuckled, knowing full well that the SWAT team was keeping a close eye on him, despite being handcuffed.

"Go to hell Loxley!" Nick snapped "I'll be satisfied when you're rotting in a cell."

"Kid, you need to relax." Nottingham directed, "You just beat the two most notorious thieves in the world."

"And where were you, Nottingham?" Little John sniggered, "Eating or taking a nap?"

"I missed you too, Little John." Nottingham replied sarcastically.

"Have they been read their rights?" Skye asked.

"Not yet." Jack answered; he held his bow ready in case the two tried anything.

"Allow me." Nick smirked.

"Sorry Nick, you're off the case, and if Perry spots you, we'll both be toast." Skye shot down. The arctic vixen then looked around and asked, "Hey, where is Perry?"

"Probably on the phone to Bogo," Nottingham assumed, "That riot in Sherwood is still raging."

"Dick move, by the way; using Thumper as bait." Nick scolded his dad.

"He's a scumbag, besides, I knew the good old ZPD would leap to the rescue of a mass murderer." Robin countered.

"This is off the record, but can you tell me if you made him suffer?" Jack asked in a steely voice, gaining a concerned look from Skye.

"I guarantee it." Robin revealed.

" _N-Nick."_ Nick's radio crackled with Judy's voice.

"Carrots, where are you?" Nick asked through his radio.

" _I'm injured, I-I need an ambulance."_ Judy stuttered with a wheezy voice.

Nick's eyes went wide with fear as he yelped, "Where are you?!"

 _"The fortieth floor, the third member saved my life."_ Judy answered, still sounding hoarse.

"What? The third member's here!?" Skye gasped.

"Nick, let's get up there!" Jack rallied, already running for the elevator.

"Carrots, we're on our way!" Nick bellowed down the radio, following Jack and yelling into his radio "Dispatch, we need an ambulance at the Watering Hole Real Estate Building, Officer Hopps is down."

Within two minutes, Nick and Jack were stepping out of the elevator with bows drawn, ready to fire at the mystery third member of the gang. Soon enough, they found Judy slumped against the wall beside a severely beaten leopard, "Carrots!" Nick bawled, dropping his bow and racing over to the wounded bunny.

"Hey, Slick." Judy smiled weakly.

"What happened?" Nick asked, clearly panicked and looking for any blood on his love.

"That leopard broke my w-wrist and tried to strangle me. This blur came out of nowhere and saves my life." Judy explained, the sound of her damaged throat was clear.

"Judy, I'm so sorry, I should've been here." Nick was crying now as he embraced his girlfriend.

"Sorry to seem like a jerk, but where is your hero?" Jack asked, his bow still at the ready.

"I don't know, it's all a haze." Judy dodged; her eyes were still bloodshot from the choking.

"That doesn't matter; we need to get you to the ER." Nick fretted, handing his bow to Jack before scooping up Judy gently.

She buried her face in his chest and wept, "I was so scared."

"Ssshhh Fluff, it's ok, I'm here." Nick whispered, kissing her atop of her head.

Out of nowhere the speakers that usually blared the fire alarm burst into life, not with a claxon, but a song. It was 'Anarchy in the UK' by the Sex Pistols, "What the hell??" Jack mumbled, "Music?"

"Punk music...? Wait!" Nick realised, "The M.M gang used this back in the day! Some robberies they would play the Sex Pistols to confuse security!"

Jack was in the process of getting out his phone to contact Skye when the music and all the lights shut off; they were left in complete darkness. "Damn it!" Jack cursed, going over to the elevator and realising the power to that had been shut down as well. "We need to get back down there!"

"It's too late," Nick realised, "they've escaped by now." Nick was no longer bothered about his outlaw father. All that occupied his thoughts was the injured beauty in his arms.

000

Robin and Little John had indeed escaped just as Director Perry Flynn started to read them their rights. As soon as they had heard the music playing, they knew it was a signal and began to free themselves from the restraints. Then, when the lights went out, it was pandemonium, with everyone blind and afraid to fire a shot in case they hit a friendly. Sixty seconds later, the lights came back on and the Hood and Little John were long gone.

Nick had been told all these details, and yet it didn't sink in. All he could think about was Judy, and how the usually strong and confident cop seemed so fragile. In the back of his mind, Nick was thankful to the mystery third gang member for beating the living daylights out of the leopard who had almost killed his beloved bunny. Jack assured Nick that that Leopard would be arrested for the attempted murder of a police officer as soon as she awoke in hospital, although the paramedics said she would most likely be in the ICU for a while.

Nick had travelled in the ambulance with Judy to the nearest ER, tears still fresh in his emerald eyes, as the black pig paramedic checked Judy over and attached monitors to her. When they arrived at the ER it was, thankfully, a quiet night and she was seen immediately, tended to by a team of doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants. Judy was sent down to X-Ray and they found that it was a clean break on her distal radius (Wrist to all you non medical types) so, luckily, she wouldn't need a plate or pins put in to mend it, she would just need a cast on her arm for two weeks. When the doctors examined her throat, it was heavily bruised, both on the skin under her fur and on the inside. They ordered her to only eat soup and ice cream for the next few days, as solid food would be agony to swallow. The doctors were satisfied that Judy could be discharged, however the Shetland Pony doctor had written her a sick note for two and a half weeks, which made Judy lament more. She loved her job and being away from it would be more painful than her broken wrist. While the medical team were writing up Judy's discharge paperwork, a worried looking Bogo came rushing into the room, his face showing some relief when he saw Judy sitting up in the bed, "Oh thank god." Bogo panted; he had clearly run from his car "Gleeson radioed me and told me what happened, are you ok?"

"I'm ok, Chief, just a little tender at the moment." Judy played down, her voice still scratchy. Nick sat beside her with a comforting arm and his fluffy tail wrapped around her.

"You gave me a fright there Hopps, if anything happened to you…" Bogo trailed off, his face still full of concern.

Judy let go of Nick, stood up on the bed, and hugged Bogo, "I'm ok Mason, don't worry." she whispered.

"Don't you scare me like that, Judy." Bogo replied, his voice sad. Bogo ended the hug and wiped away a stray tear from his eye before returning to his default stoic nature, "Wilde, if you tell anyone I was crying, you'll be on parking duty for a year, got it?"

"Don't worry, sir, you weren't the only one crying tonight." Nick said sincerely, his tail wrapping around his sly bunny once more.

"I'm guessing the good doctor has written you a sick note?" Bogo asked, regaining his commanding presence.

"Yes, sir, two and a half weeks I have to have the cast on." Judy answered, holding up her left paw covered in a plain white cast.

"Make it three weeks, Hopps." Bogo stated, crossing his arms.

"But, sir-" Judy began to protest.

"That's an order, Hopps, you're one of my best cops, I want you coming back at one hundred percent." Bogo affirmed.

"Yes, sir," Judy conceded.

"Wilde, you have three weeks of vacation yet to take, may I suggest you take one of those weeks, effective immediately, to take care of Hopps." Bogo offered.

"I will take you up on that offer, sir." Nick agreed, his thankfulness clear on his muzzle.

"Good." Bogo smiled.

000

Twenty minutes later, Nick was helping Judy into a cab, "Number 6 Railway Road in Savannah Central, buddy." Nick instructed the porcupine cab driver.

"Scratch that!" Judy said suddenly, before turning to Nick, "I need to see your Mom."

"What? Can't it wait till tomorrow? It's nearly 2am." Nick asked, baffled by the request.

"Please Nick, I'm not speaking with my Mom at the moment, and your Mom is the closest thing I’ve got, I just went through hell back there and I need a mother right now." Judy half lied, with teary eyes that could convince anyone.

Nick sighed, and conceded, "You got it," he then turned to the cabbie, "21 Oakland Avenue in Sherwood, please."

On the drive there, Nick had phoned his mother, who was apparently still awake trying to fix a friend's computer, and said that he and Judy would be coming over. He told her Judy had just been through something horrible and neglected to say he’d had a run in with his dad and Little John that night; Marian of course agreed and said she would put a pot of tea on, ready for the couple's arrival.

Nick and Judy got to the door of the modest home and Nick used his key to get in, and he immediately called out, "Mom?"

"I'm in the kitchen, my little kit." Marian's voice echoed.

Nick still had an arm around Judy as he walked into the kitchen, but as soon as his eyes fixed on his surroundings all his fur stood on end; there was his mother dressed in some weird costume and his father dressed in his outlaw outfit with his hood down looking at him, both of them holding a cup of tea. Nick reached for his pistol and was shocked to find it wasn't there in its holster. He heard the click of a gun's safety flick off and turned his attention to Judy, who was aiming his own tranq pistol at him, "I'm sorry, Nick." Judy said in a serious voice.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! Judy's pointing a gun at Nick?! What did you think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review, like, fave, follow or reblog or all the above! Next time on Take a Stand; Nick learns the confusing and shocking history of his family. Please review and c ya soon)
> 
>  


	20. Whiskey and revelations

** Chapter 20- Whiskey and Revelations **

** **

Nick still had an arm around Judy as he walked into the kitchen, but as soon as his eyes fixed on his surroundings, all his fur stood on end; there was his mother, dressed in some weird costume, and his father, dressed in his outlaw outfit with his hood down, looking at him, both of them holding a cup of tea. Nick reached for his pistol and was shocked to find it wasn't there in its holster. He heard the click of a gun's safety flick off and turned his attention to Judy, who was aiming his own tranq pistol at him, "I'm sorry Nick." Judy said in a serious voice.

Nick couldn't fathom what was transpiring; his eyes were fixated, not on the gun but on Judy's sad face that framed her bloodshot amethyst eyes. He could feel his knees weakening, his heart rate racing with anxiety and with a dry mouth he quietly spoke, "Judy?"

"Nick, we need you to sit down at the table." Judy instructed, breaking through her trepidation.

"What…what's going on?" Nick was almost breathless, his mind was shouting a thousand thoughts at once ‘ _She's betrayed me? No! She wouldn't, she couldn't! Why is Loxley here? Why is Mom dressed like that? Judy, why? Why? WHY?!’_

"I'm doing this for a good reason; you have to trust me, your Mom and your Dad." Judy reasoned. She hated herself for aiming a gun at her lover, but knew this needed to be done.

"Judy, if you love me, you'll aim that gun at Loxley." Nick replied, growing angry.

"I do love you, Nick, but there is one mammal I love just as much as you; Luna." Judy pleaded, her paw holding the gun was shaking.

"What?!" Nick snarled, "What's this got to do with Luna?"

"She's in danger, Nicky." Robin spoke up, looking solemn.

Nick turned to his father and sniped, "I bet it's because of you! You pissed off the mob, and now they're targeting my baby girl! You're a piece of shit, Loxley."

Robin looked wounded, but didn't correct his son, whilst a frown grew on Marian's face as she set down her tea and slapped her son hard across the face, causing a gasp from both Judy and Robin, "Don't you EVER speak to him that way again!" Marian barked "After all he's sacrificed to keep us safe!"

"Mom?" Nick uttered, putting a paw up to his now stinging cheek.

"Nicholas Piberius Loxley, you will sit down right this second or, so help me god, I will punch you into that chair." Marian threatened. It had been a long night and there were more things at stake than her son's daddy issues.

Nick was about to point out that his Mom had called him a 'Loxley' instead of ‘Wilde’, but thought better of it. He reluctantly sat in the chair and slouched in it like a melodramatic teenager, "How did you do it, Loxley? How did you get Judy to turn on me, blackmail?" he interrogated.

"It wasn't your Dad." Judy shot down, "It was your Mom."

"Mom?" Nick asked, completely baffled by her actions and her outfit.

"Nick, I love you, but you can be stubborn as hell when you want to be, especially when it comes to your father." Marian explained, "So, sit there like a good little kit and we're going to explain everything to you."

"Fine, explain it to me!" Nick growled, crossing his arms across his chest, "First question; why is Luna in danger?"

"Buttercup," Judy breathed, feeling a pool of guilt well in her gut. She put the gun down on the table and slid it back to Nick, safe in the knowledge that he wouldn't use it after the harsh words from Marian.

"Wait, wasn't that the name Finnick gave to Jack a few days ago?" Nick asked immediately, flicking the safety back on his gun and sliding it back into his holster.

"Because I told it to Mr.. Big, and he passed it on to the MCB." Robin gave insight, sipping his cup of tea.

"So, what's this Buttercup's deal?" Nick asked back, fighting the urge to grab his gun and shoot his old man.

"This mammal is an information broker who helped Madame Misdadd and Rattigan rise to the top of the criminal underworld. Buttercup is the third player who helps keep the Zebra and the Rat out of jail by bribing and manipulating most elected officials and cops in Zootopia." Robin spelled out.

"So, who is he?" Nick asked the obvious question.

"She," Marian cut in.

"You got an I.D?" Judy spoke, somewhat shocked by the news.

"I hacked into the Zootopia Department of Corrections while you were at the hospital. It didn't take me long to find a na-" Marian began.

"Whoa, hold up? Did you say you just hacked into the Department of Corrections?" Nick asked, with surprise in his voice.

"Yes dear, I'm a hacker." Marian sighed with annoyance.

"What?!" Nick yelped, his mind being blown, "You're a hacker?"

"What did you think kept your arse out of jail for all those years, luck? Spoiler alert; it was your Mother." Marian unveiled.

"So, all those times evidence would go missing?" Nick mumbled.

"It was me, cleaning up your mess, Nicholas." Marian gave a small grin.

"You always were a Mummy's boy." Robin chuckled.

"Can it, Loxley!" Nick reacted.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand; Buttercup. Marian, you said is a woman?" Judy steered the conversation back on track.

"Yes," Marian sighed, knowing this news would just make the doe rabbit and her son worry, "it's Dawn Bellweather."

"No…" Judy uttered, shaking her head "that can't be right."

"No mistake, that signal was going through Bellweather's account." Marian confirmed.

"But, that makes no sense. She's in prison, how can she be helping Madame Misdadd and Rattigan if she's in the big house?" Nick questioned, unbelieving.

"I wish I knew." Marian replied "But if this is true, if Dawn Bellweather is Buttercup, it makes perfect sense."

"How does any of this make sense?" Nick answered back, frustrated.

"Because, Buttercup has been active for about five years, just about the same time she became deputy mayor. She had access to sensitive information and surveillance so, in theory, she could easily extort whatever she wanted from mammals in city hall and the ZPD, whilst pocketing potential millions of dollars." Marian theorised.

"It would explain how she got funding for her Night Howler plan; she never revealed how she got the money to set up that operation at her trial." Judy added.

"But what has this got to do with Luna?" Nick pressed.

"It's my fault." Judy said, her voice heavy with guilt and looking down at her feet, "I'm such an idiot."

"Judy, it's not your fault." Robin eased.

"Carrots, what's going on?" Nick asked with caution, knowing that she would never do anything to purposely put Luna at risk.

"My eye exam was a sham, those glasses were planted by Bellweather. They had a spy cam in them." Judy explained with a quivering lip. "She would've seen the picture of Luna on your desk…it's my fault she's in danger." Then tears began rolling down her face soaking the grey fur of her cheeks.

Nick instinctively got out of his chair went over to Judy and embraced her, "Hey, don't talk like that," he said, his concern clear in his tone, "she's going to be ok."

"I can promise you she will be." Marian affirmed.

"Huh?" Judy sniffed, still holding onto Nick.

"Little John is on guard at Victoria and Luna's building. He won't let anyone near the penthouse." Robin assured. "I'm also calling in some favours, so she'll have a 24/7 protection team on her."

Nick then said the words he thought he'd never say again to his father, "Thank you."

Robin took some comfort from the words; he knew Nick meant them, "You're welcome." Robin nodded.

"Ok, Nick," Marian continued, taking another swig of tea, "I'm sure you have some questions for your father and I, so fire away."

Nick took a moment. Everything was happening at a phenomenal speed, and he had barely any time to process what was going on, and yet he proceeded to ask, "What the hell are you wearing?"

"My mission gear," Marian answered casually, "I made it myself."

"You still look beautiful in it darling." Robin flirted.

"Why, thank you dear." Marian replied, feigning shyness.

Nick dismissed his parents making lovey dovey eyes at each other and forced, "Why would you need mission gear in the first place?"

"Simple; I'm a member of the M.M gang, more specifically, the founder of the gang." Marian told with surprising ease, having Robin by her side gave her confidence.

"What?!" Nick howled, he had a feeling he'd be saying that word a lot tonight.

"I thought you were just the third member of the gang." Judy spoke.

"Wait, you knew?" Nick asked Judy with speed.

"She's the one who saved my life back at the skyscraper; if it wasn't for your Mom, I'd be dead." Judy declared.

"So, this whole time we've chasing the M.M gang, we were trying to catch you as well?" Nick appealed to his mom.

"No, your mother left this life behind over twenty five years ago," Robin divulged, "I needed her help on this job. We needed to find out who Buttercup was, so we needed the best hacker in Zootopia."

"But, weren't you just robbing that place?" Nick probed.

"It was another distraction; we needed the cops and Misdadd to think we were just after the money and not Buttercup's identity." Robin elaborated.

"However, those drones full of cash are raining money over the poorest districts of Tundra Town as we speak." Marian couldn't help but brag.

"Marian, I have to ask; why did you start this gang?" Judy queried.

"That is a very long story for another day; just know it starts at a posh boarding school back in Britain, when a rebellious genius vixen and a goody two shoes archery club member crossed paths." Marian teased, "I call it; the rise of Maid Marian and her fanboy/sidekick Robin."

"Whoa, I was never your fanboy or sidekick!" Robin protested.

"Sure you weren't." Marian taunted with a wink.

"Maid Marian?" Nick voiced his puzzlement over the name.

"Why do you think the gang is called M.M? I always spray painted my initials as my calling card." Marian smiled, secretly loving the confusion on her kit's face.

"Ok, I got another question," Nick opened looking at his father, "what the hell happened the night you faked your death?"

Both Nick and Judy sensed a nervousness grow between Robin and Marian, but Robin was the first to reply with a mourning voice ,"It's like you said Nicky; I was a coward, I took what I stole and ran away and left your Mum to raise you alone."

Now, Nick had wanted to hear this confession for over two decades, the conformation that his father was exactly who he thought he was, but as soon as the words hit his ears Nick realised ‘ _He's lying.’_ Nick had been a hustler for too long not to spot a lie when he heard one, it was the lie he wanted but, right now, he needed the truth. "…You're lying." Nick spoke, feeling upset.

A look of panic flickered across Robin's face before he falsely insisted, "I'm a coward and I ran, just like you said, Nick."

"Robin?" Judy mumbled, noticing how the older fox was twitching.

"Tell me, Loxley, tell me what really happened." Nick requested, not with anger, but with a sense of pleading.

"I…" Robin started, but couldn't finish, as if chains had shackled his words.

"Robin, we need to tell him." Marian surrendered, her shoulders slumping.

"Marian, no, we made a promise!" Robin fretted, looking at the guilt in his wife's navy eyes.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but it's time to end this little pantomime. He needs to know who the real villain of this story is." Marian began to cry.

"Mom?" Nick said softly, going over to her and holding her paw.

"The real reason your Dad had to run all those years ago was because of me." Marian confessed, looking Nick square in the eye.

"But…but that doesn't make sense." Nick babbled, trying to comprehend what his mom was saying.

"We came to Zootopia for two reasons; one being that we had pissed off most of the bankers and gangsters back in England and two, when Nick's parents and my foster parents found out I was having you, we got kicked out of our homes, so we used a bit of the money we stole to emigrate to America and settle in Zootopia." Marian began to tell her tale.

"And, within three days of being in the city, we realised that bounty hunters from the UK were hunting us, so we begged for an audience with Mr. Big for sanctuary." Robin recalled, "We explained what the M.M gang were about, that we robbed from the rich to give to the poor, and protect those who needed it. Mr. Big could see your Mum was pregnant, so he set me a task; to stop a mob war in Zootopia."

"That's a tall order." Judy commented.

"You have no idea. I was sixteen and scared out of my wits, but I had no choice; I had to protect Marian and the bump." Robin remembered, looking at Nick with warmth.

"Bump, _that_ was your name for me?" Nick asked.

"We wanted to keep your sex a surprise for when you were born, so we nicknamed you bump." Marian replied, subconsciously putting a paw to her tummy.

"So, how did you stop the mob war?" Judy asked, hungry for details.

"A week before we arrived in Zootopia there had been a mob hit on the Little family by the Frazer family during a trip to an amusement park, the only survivor was an eighteen year old furious John who was wanting justice." Marian recalled.

"Uncle John? He's the son of a gangster?" Nick asked with disbelief.

"I know it seems unbelievable, seeing how he despises gangsters so much. He never wanted to go into the family business but, when his entire family was murdered, he was willing to start a war." Robin confirmed.

"So, what happened next?" Judy urged.

"I found Little John with a sniper rifle outside the Frazer compound, ready to kill every member of the family. I shot John with a paralysing arrow before he could go through with it. Suffice it to say, he was pissed off with me." Robin told, finishing his tea. "So, I explained that his plan would cause a mob war, but he still wanted justice, so I gave it to him. I robbed the Frazers of every penny they had and passed all evidence of their crimes to the ZPD."

"And with that action, Mr. Big sent the bounty hunters packing back to Britain, and we gained a lifelong friend and new member of the gang." Marian said.

"So, what happened after I was born?" Nick asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"I'm not going to lie, Nick, we were young and stupid." Marian regretted, "We thought we could juggle being parents, work in the day and be vigilantes at night…we were so bloody stupid."

"It worked for quite a few years. We had few close calls here and there, our idea of date night was bringing down drug dealers." Robin reminisced, "But, it was when you were seven, we ran into some trouble."

Before either Nick or Judy could ask 'What happened?' Marian pre-emptively answered, "You were at a sleep over with Skippy while me, your Dad and Little John were doing a heist in the canal district. We were on this barge, trying to nab crates of jewels, but I messed up the hack, locking us in on the sinking boat."

"Thank god we had Little John with us; he managed to pry the door open so we could escape." Robin took over, "After that heist, me and Little John had had enough, we decided to quit. The crime rate had dropped like a rock in Zootopia, so we felt like our work was done but…." the older fox trailed off.

"I didn't want to quit," Marian directed at Nick "so I lied to your Dad and Little John and continued to fight crime. A few months passed and I thought I would never be caught, until one night."

"Marian, don't force yourself." Robin empathised with his wife, putting a paw on her shoulder.

"Nick needs to know what I did." Marian insisted, before turning to her son once more, "Just please try to understand why I did what I did."

"I'll try." Nick responded, making no promises.

"I was at the docks in Tundra Town one night, just scouting out a yacht that belonged to some thieving Rhino banker, when a cargo ship docked beside it. Then, from the cargo ship, one of the most infamous European gangsters ever emerged, Caspar Moll." Marian confided.

"Moll? That guy is a legend, and for all the wrong reasons." Nick commented, remembering hearing urban legends about the Boar's viciousness.

"Yeah, even I've heard of him." Judy added. "What the heck was he doing in Zootopia?"

Marian then paused, as if the memory was causing actual pain. Robin took hold of his wife's paw and whispered, "It's ok, I'm with you."

Marian took strength from Robin's words and answered in a serious tone, "He was selling slaves."

"What?" Nick and Judy asked in unison.

"Turns out that Rhino banker was one twisted bastard; he was building a harem of kidnapped women." Marian told with bitterness "The Rhino went to the cargo ship and Moll's men opened cargo containers with mammals inside, naked and chained, like some sick market."

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers," Judy gasped, trying her best not picture the horrifying image.

"But they opened another cargo container…and…and…" Marian was sobbing, but powered through "there was this Hippo girl, she couldn't have been older than sixteen and she was just laying there, dead. That's when I snapped. It's all a blur, but I know I killed the Rhino, I killed Moll and his three guards."

Kill, that word echoed in Nick's mind. Marian Wilde had taken the life of five mammals and he didn't know how to process it. His mind was spinning as he asked, "You killed them?"

"Yes, and I don't regret it. If you want to arrest me, go ahead, I won't blame you, but I don't feel a shred of guilt for killing those bastards and freeing those slaves." Marian enforced.

"Oh god…" Judy was struggling to take all this info in; her moral compass was spinning out of control.

"I still don't get how this links to Loxley faking his death." Nick wanted to push the conversation forward and not dwell on the grim details.

Marian gathered her mental strength and continued talking, "I panicked after I killed those men. I searched the yacht and found two holdalls full of cash, ten million in each. I took them and raced back to Sherwood thinking I got away with it. The next day was Saturday and I acted as if nothing was wrong."

"But I got a call from Mr. Big," Robin cut in "saying that a tracker had been placed in the holdalls Marian had stole and hit men were heading for Sherwood."

"I was so damn stupid." Marian criticised herself, "If I hadn't been such a nervous wreck, I would have checked the bags."

Robin squeezed his beloved's paw once again before carrying on, "So Johnny and I ran back here from the auto shop we used to work at and well…."

"Your father and I had a big fight." Marian finished "But we really had no time to argue, so we enacted Plan B."

"Plan B?" Judy asked as if on cue.

"It was a plan we had formed years before. With some of the money we stole over the years we bought a cheap, but flyable, plane and a small hangar to keep it in. But we also acquired three bodies we kept in a freezer at the hangar, a grizzly bear and two red foxes." Robin explained, "And before you ask ‘where did you get the bodies?’, let's just say when Mr. Big wanted to ice someone, we had the pick of bodies."

"Big told us that the hit men were looking to strike at 3pm. We knew we couldn't run like we did before." Marian decreed, looking up at the flummoxed Nick, "So we came up with a plan that would keep you safe."

"Little John and I would lead the hit men away. We knew that these guys were old school and would never bring any harm to the wife and child of a target. I made Marian promise that she would keep you safe and never be Maid Marian again. The truth is, you needed your mother a lot more that you needed me." Robin unveiled with his hazel eyes growing watery "I made the decision that it would be me who disappeared, Little John wouldn't abandon me, and so he tagged along."

Nick didn't want to hear this, he loved his Mom, he idolised her and to learn that she was the real reason his Dad left was breaking his heart, and yet he said, "What happened next?"

"Little John and I deliberately drove by the hit men in a stolen Lamborghini and we led them on a merry chase to the airfield. They saw us go into the hangar, but this is where the smart bit of the plan came into play; the plane was a drone being controlled by Marian with the frozen bodies of the dead grizzly bear and red fox on it. As soon as the plane took off it was hit with an RPG, and so when the plane was searched they thought we were dead." Robin recited.

"But how did you and Little John escape?" Judy had to ask.

"There was a sewer entrance in the hangar; we followed it back it to the docks in Tundra Town where Mr. Big had a boat waiting to send us to Japan." Robin revealed, "And that's how we vanished."

Nick was saying no words, all that could be heard was his breathing, and he was wearing a poker face that not even his mother could interpret. He felt furious, betrayed, but also loved. His mind was arguing with itself, debating whether or not to call the MCB and turn his parents in, to disown or hug his mother but instead he decided this. He took an audible sigh, then went over to the cupboard where he knew his mother kept the single malt scotch whiskey, retrieved it and took out the cork before taking a glug from the bottle.

"Uh Nick, do you thi-" Judy began to talk, but was silenced by the still drinking Nick holding up his left index finger.

After a few more seconds, and a lot of alcohol flooding his bloodstream, Nick freed the bottle from his lips and let out an "Ahh!" as the scotch warmed him before setting the bottle down and looking directly at his mother and saying in a commanding tone, "Mom, you should have told me."

"…I know." Marian wept, as if the role of parent and child had been reversed.

"All those years, I badmouthed and despised Loxley, and it was because of you." Nick accused.

"Nick, don't be like that, she messed up once, that's all." Robin defended his one true love.

"And that so called mess up cost you your freedom, you and Uncle John had to run because…shit, I can't believe this." Nick seethed, pulling at his ears in aggravation.

There was a lull of silence in the kitchen for about a minute where all that could be heard was the quiet sobs of Marian Wilde, and after another minute Judy could take no more and ran over to the vixen, wrapping her in a hug, despite her left wrist aching in its cast, "It's ok, Marian." Judy soothed.

"Carrots?" Nick questioned, looking at his girlfriend.

"Nick, listen to me; you're Mom made a mistake, a big one. But she didn't do it with malice in mind. Your Mom was saving those women on that boat and everything she's done since has been for you, plus she saved my life tonight, so cut her some god damn slack." Judy preached, "Your Mom is a good mammal and…I can't believe I'm saying this about a master thief, but so is your Dad."

"Thank you, Judy." Robin gifted a smile, he really did appreciate the compliment.

"Look, we both know the law isn't black and white and neither is life." Judy plead to her boyfriend, "So what if your parents work in the grey? At least you know they love you, Luna and hopefully me."

"I do love you, Judy dear." Marian concurred with honesty, hugging the bunny back.

"Even though we've only met a handful of times, if you make my Nicky happy, I'll love you like a daughter." Robin promised the remarkable rabbit.

"So, you're saying I should just forget the last twenty years of lies and play happy families like some dumb TV show?" Nick snapped back.

"No, of course not, but at least try to understand your parent's choices." Judy convinced.

"I…I don't know." Nick admitted. The wounds were still fresh, and even though he knew his dad was the innocent party, he couldn't help but look at Robin with distain out of habit.

"Nick, you gave me a second chance that day under the bridge." Judy spoke, letting go of Marian, walking over to Nick and leaning her head against his chest so she could hear his beating heart, "I betrayed you and I hurt you, but you forgave me, and now look at us. You are the love of my life, Nicholas Wilde, so please, for our sake and Luna's, please forgive your Mom so we can keep this crazy family together."

Nick looked at his mother, who was crying a steady stream of tears and, without realising it, he outstretched his arm, invited his mother to join the hug. With trepidation, Marian slowly stepped over and hugged her son and his girlfriend, "It's ok, Mom." Nick whispered in his mother's ear, even though he was wounded by his mother's deception, Nick could never hate her, she meant too much to him, but it would be a while before he fully trusted her again. Nick then caught a glimpse of Robin smiling and nodding back at him in approval. Nick then made a choice as he offered his other paw to his Dad. Robin didn't hesitate as he rushed over and joined the group hug. He had wanted to hug his only child for over twenty years and he wasn't going to miss the chance. As he hugged his wife, his son and, hopefully, his future daughter in law, Robin Loxley felt something he hadn't felt in years, he felt like he was home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ So what did you guys think? Did the one room setting work? What do you think of Marian being a killer? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Next Time on Take a Stand, Nick and Robin sit down and sort out their differences, the political race heats up and Nick and Judy realize how much Luna means to them. Please review and c ya soon.)


	21. Love and trust are two separate things

** Chapter 21- Love and Trust are two separate things **

Robin Loxley had never been the type to sleep in; he barely slept four hours a night ever since he was a kit. It was just after seven am when his hazel eyes opened, the orange light of the sunrise breaking through the curtains just enough to shine a streak of sunlight on the vixen snoozing beside him. Robin smiled as his eyes adored the slumbering form of his wife. He had missed this, for over two decades he woke up wanting to be beside the woman he loved and now, she was here in his arms. Robin was telling the truth when he said he thought Marian looked more radiant than when she was a teenager, not to say he was not enamoured with the beauty when she was younger. Marian Wilde was Robin's first and only love; he listened to her soft breathing as she slept whilst his mind drifted back to their first meeting.

**Major Oak Boarding School, England, 34 Years ago…**

Robin checked himself in the mirror beside his bed in the dormitory room of the elite boarding school. He looked prim and sharply dressed as always; his immaculate claret coloured blazer with matching tie was freshly laundered and his prefect pin was positioned just above the school crest sewn into the breast of the blazer. He picked up his satchel full of books for the day's classes from his bed and took a brief look at the barren and lifeless left side of his room; it was his fourth year at Major Oaks Boarding school and had yet to gain a roommate because, the sad truth was, no one wanted a fox as a roommate. But Robin never let that fact get him down. He didn't mind the privacy because it was easier to study, and also it gave him the drive to pursue his goal; to prove foxes were nice mammals.

Fifteen year old Robin Loxley was the perfect pupil. He was a straight A student, had a 100% attendance record, participated in extra-credit activities and was the star member of the school's archery team. However there was one imperfect factor in his life; Robin had no friends. It wasn't like he didn't try to make them, but everyone he talked to either ignored him or told him to get lost. Even the archery team weren't chatty with him, despite being the star sharpshooter on the team. That's why Robin tried extra hard to be kind, courteous and respectful to every mammal, as not to add to the negative stigma that surrounded his species. Robin left his dorm room and the short five minute walk to his classroom and sat in his usual seat at the front of class whilst his classmates of varying sizes and species settled into their seats as the teacher, a snarky old Ferret by the name of Mr. Sandbach, entered the room. "All right you lot," Mr. Sandbach announced in his west country accent, "you have a new classmate starting today, she's from up north in Cheshire and has test scores that make you seem like dumb fools; come on in lass, everyone, meet Marian Wilde."

The classroom door opened and a vixen with a scowl appeared from the classroom's doorway. Her ears were decorated with multiple piercings, her facial features were elegant, despite displaying her annoyance, her navy blue eyes were framed by heavy mascara eyelashes, and when it came to her uniform, well, let's just say it didn't conform with school rules; her skirt was much too short, her blouse wasn't ironed or tucked in, her tie was loose and slapdash and upon her blazer were many badges with an assortment of skulls, band logos and, of course, the union flag. "Thanks for the introduction that will make everyone hate me." Marian Wilde sassed as she walked into the classroom.

"Heh," Mr. Sandbach snorted, "they said you had a smart mouth, thank the almighty your grades make up for it. Now take a seat beside Loxley there, it's good to keep you foxes where I can see you."

"Ah, institutional prejudice, how refreshing," Marian bantered as she took her seat, triggering a look of disbelief from Robin and a ripple of giggles from the rest of the class.

"Watch it, Wilde; you don't want get detention on your first day." Mr. Sandbach cautioned, going over to his little step ladder to write stuff on the blackboard.

"Me, in detention? Why, I'd never dream of it." Marian hammed up, causing another round of laughter from the class, all except Robin, who seemed unimpressed by the vixen's cheekiness.

For the next hour of class Marian answered every difficult history question with ease and, more often than not, with a joke while Robin seethed in the seat beside her. He was the classes top pupil, who obeyed all the school rules and respected the teachers, and now this random joker had appeared out of nowhere with higher test scores and bolshiness that made Robin cringe. And, to add insult to injury, she was a fox. Robin had been working so hard to prove that his species weren't fast talking sleazes and now this one vixen was tearing down all of his hard work.

When the morning break bell rang, all of the students went about their usual business ,but Robin made it his business to follow Marian through the hallways, not because he was creepy stalker but, to make sure she was up to no nefarious activities that would further harm the reputation of his species. Marian made her way to the computer room and logged onto one of the only four workstations the room provided (Remember whippersnappers this was the 1980s, so not a lot of computers were around) Robin made his way into the room and Marian immediately queried, "You're name was Loxley, wasn't it?" not looking up from the monitor she was staring at.

"Uh, yes," Robin responded, caught off guard by the abruptness of Marian.

"You want to tell me why you were eyeballing me during class and following me here? Are you some kind of creepy stalker?" Marian accused in a jokey manner while still typing away at the keyboard.

"I-I'm not a stalker!" Robin reacted, embarrassed.

"Sure you're not." Marian smirked.

"I came to tell you to respect the school rules." Robin stated.

"Is that so?" Marian sniggered, finally looking up at the flustered Robin.

"As a prefect, it's my responsibility to inform you that you are breaking multiple uniform regulations." Robin replied in a professional manner.

"Hmm, if that's the case then why have none of the teachers pulled me up on it?" Marian countered, going back to typing.

"The teachers have lesson plans to organise and tests to mark, they leave the enforcement of rules to the prefects." Robin parried.

"You mean the 'Goody two shoes arse-kissing brigade'?" Marian mocked.

Robin was halted momentarily halted by the jibe before snapping, "I'm not an arse kisser!"

"Hate to break it to you; but you are." Marian said, sounding sure of herself as she stared up at him from the desk, "Robin Loxley, positively perfect in every way. Gets A's in every subject, never had detention or skipped class in his life and, to top it off, he's the top marksman on the archery team but, shock horror!, he's a Billy-No-Mates." (To all non-British readers a Billy-No-Mates is a common insult to a person with no friends)

"What? H-How could you possibly know all that?!" Robin asked, aghast.

"Easy, I looked up your school record." Marian grinned, pointing at the computer monitor, "Four years without a roommate, so sad."

Robin scrambled over to see if she was really looking at his record and, to his dismay, she was "You can't look up my record!" he shouted, feeling a blend of shame and anger.

"Actually I can, all the school records are on a public server that any member of the student body can access, so I'm breaking no rules." Marian smiled, leaning back in her chair and putting her paws behind her head.

Robin was about to yell and curse at the vexing vixen, but took a deep breath and composed himself before asking, "Do you enjoy belittling mammals? Is that what gives a bully like you satisfaction?"

"Listen, my dear," Marian replied, standing up and facing the fox only a couple of inches taller than her, "I'm not trying to bully you, I'm trying to help you."

"Help me?" Robin scoffed "Why would I need help?"

"Do you want to know why you have such a hard time making friends?" Marian asked back.

"Easy, because I'm a fox." Robin answered, feeling that familiar twinge of sadness in his gut.

"No, it's because you're a fake." Marian informed with an odd gentleness.

"I…" Robin began, but was rendered speechless.

"Everyone can see that you're trying way too hard to be Mr.. Amazing, If you want to get good grades that's great, but you got to tone down all this perfect student crap, try being yourself for once." Marian observed.

"You're wrong, this is who I am." Robin lied.

"Listen Loxley, I only met you just over an hour ago and I've got you all figured out and everyone else can see it too." Marian tried to make her classmate understand.

"You know nothing about me!" Robin barked.

"Then why do you look so sad?" Marian questioned.

Robin had enough of being psychoanalysed by some delinquent smart mouth. He turned on his heel and marched out of the computer room while reiterating, "Tidy yourself up, Wilde, you're a member of this school, not a punk band." As he left the room, Robin could feel a lump in his throat, but forced back his tears, he wasn't going to shed a tear for that vixen…

**Now…**

Marian awoke to the sight of Robin getting dressed into a simple jeans and green t-shirt combo. She smiled at her husband's well maintained physique as she yawned, "Morning gorgeous."

"Good morning, my love." Robin smiled back, "How did you sleep?"

"As well as can be expected after last night's gig," Marian winced, sitting up in bed "my muscles are aching like hell."

"And how about after what we told Nick and Judy?" Robin asked bluntly.

Marian inhaled deeply before saying, "Shit."

"How eloquent," Robin jested.

"The way he looked at us, Robin…" Marian sighed "I know he said he forgave us, but I don't think he'll ever trust us again."

"Don't talk like that, just give him time. We need to stick together, we're family." Robin tried to cheer her up, "Now come on, let's go make breakfast, I need to eat something before I meet up with Little John."

On the other side of the Wilde family home, Nick and Judy were laying in a single bed together. Marian had kept Nick's room unchanged from when he moved out as a nineteen year old. There was an old TV with a Playstation 2 plugged in, a very dated desktop computer, a few trophies from his St. Zoo High track team days resting on a shelf, and the walls were covered with posters of rock bands, action movies and female supermodels of varying species, but Bunnies seemed to be the most common. Judy had been awake for over an hour just snuggling next to Nick. Neither of them had their usual pyjamas, so they slept in their underwear. Judy had found it difficult to sleep with the cast on her forearm, but she still took solace from being next to Nick. Judy looked at the poster on the ceiling above Nick's bed and suppressed a giggle, the poster was of a sultry looking brown furred doe rabbit posing suggestively in a skimpy piece of swimwear. She looked back at her sleepy fox and thought, ‘ _He really has always had a thing for bunnies.’_ Judy studied Nick's appearance and started to feel butterflies fluttering in her tummy, he looked so fetching right now with his fur slightly ruffled and his slender frame on display. Judy kind of found it annoying how easy it was for her to get horny, but that was one of the inescapable factors of being a rabbit. Judy tried to wake Nick up gently by rubbing her scent glands in her cheeks across his fluffy chest, but when he failed to stir Judy made her way up Nick's neck and softly kissed and licked him affectionately.

"Mmmm." Nick sounded, his emerald eyes opening slightly.

"Morning, Slick." Judy attempted to sound seductive, but her voice was still scratchy from the assault the night before.

"Carrots?" Nick asked sleepily as Judy moved back down to his chest and continued to mark him with her scent.

Judy then flashed a cheeky look at her boyfriend before saying, "You just relax, and I’ll take care of you." Judy then started to move lower and grab the waistband of Nick's boxers.

"Whoa, hold up." Nick protested, suddenly a lot more awake.

"Don't worry, your parents won't hear us, they're downstairs." Judy assured, continuing to pull down Nick's underwear.

Nick swatted Judy's paws away and pulled his boxers back up and stated in a serious tone, "I'm not in the mood."

Judy's face turned sour and sniped, "What's your problem?"

"I don't want to have sex with you right now." Nick responded bitterly, sitting up and avoiding eye contact with Judy.

"But it’s morning sex, we both love morning sex." Judy pondered out loud, not seeing the obvious.

"Like I said, I DON'T want to do it right now." Nick emphasised, picking up his phone from the bedside table to see what time it was, 7.31 am.

"Nick, don't be like that." Judy said as she reached out to touch Nick's arm.

Nick looked at Judy's right paw and shook it off before saying, "I can't believe you."

"What?" Judy mumbled, noticing the sadness coupled with irritation on Nick's face.

"After all the stuff you pulled last night, you think that group hug fixed everything? That we'd be back to normal this morning, or that you could get some morning nookie like usual?" Nick asked thrice with venom.

 _‘Don't say yes, don't say yes, don't say yes’_ Judy's brain repeated, but her mouth gave an awkward, "Yes?" ‘ _Oh, sweet cheese and crackers!’_

That answer did not please Nick; his growing frown was evident of this fact. "You spoon fed me that lie about needing to see my Mom and then you aimed my own tranq gun at me, and you wonder why I'm mad at you?" Nick gave a low growl.

"I did that for Luna!" Judy deflected "She's our number one priority now."

"You could have just taken my gun away, you could've unloaded the dart, but no, you turned off the safety and pointed it at me." Nick argued, his voice trembling and wounded.

"Look, I don't know why I did that, ok?!" Judy panicked, her breathing becoming hasty, "It's just, you're so blinded with hate with it comes to your Dad I just reacted, ok?"

"That isn't an excuse." Nick replied with a quiet voice, sitting on the edge of the bed and turning his back on Judy so she couldn't see the tears in his eyes. "This is the second time you've done this to me, where I've trusted you completely and then you betray me, first at the press conference and then last night with the gun. You hurt me."

Judy's soul was shaken by that sentence, her memory flashing back to the press conference and remembering the look on Nick's face when she reached for the Fox repellent, "Nick I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." Judy pleaded, her amethyst eyes moist, "I went through the god damn ringer last night, I nearly died, I find out your mother is a cybercriminal and killed three mammals, my moral compass is so wrecked I don't if I can call myself an honest cop any more. My mind is a mess Nick, and you and Luna are the only things that make all this craziness worth it." Judy then rested her head on Nick's back and wept, "Please don't hate me."

Nick absorbed the words and felt his guilt battle his anger, but in the end he let his heart speak for him "I don't hate you Judy, I love you…but it's going to be some time before I trust you again."

Judy felt some relief, but enforced with a sob, "I promise I'll never betray you again."

Nick finally turned around to face Judy; he hugged her and kissed her gently atop of her head before crying, "You Bunnies, so emotional."

Judy looked up at her boyfriend's crying face and swore to herself that she would never do anything so hurtful to make him cry again, "I love you, you dumb fox." she sniffed, her tears now soaking the fur on Nick's chest.

"I love you too, you sly bunny." Nick reciprocated before kissing her lovingly.

Three minutes later, the pair made their way downstairs and into the kitchen to see Robin preparing breakfast for everyone, "Morning you two," he greeted warmly, but his smile soon faded when he saw the young couple had clearly been crying, "um, are you guys ok?"

Judy looked down at her feet while Nick answered honestly, "We just had a fight, we're ok." He then took a hold of Judy's hand, triggering a small smile.

"All couples fight, it’s normal." Robin assured "Now sit down, and I'll get you a cup of tea."

The two sat at the kitchen table where only hours before so many secrets had come to light, although now a fruit bowl and slices of toast lay waiting on a large plate. Nick grabbed a slice of toast and smeared some blueberry jam on it from the jar his dad had put on the table. Robin came over with a tea pot and poured both them a cup of tea, Judy let out a small titter, causing Nick to ask with a grin, "What?"

"The stereotype about the British is true; you guys really do love tea." Judy observed.

"I suppose." Robin shrugged.

"Now that I think about it," Judy mused, looking at Nick, "if Robin and Marian are from England, aren't you technically English?"

"I have dual nationality, I'm English American." Nick cleared up, munching on his toast.

"Well, no one would ever guess you've got English blood." Robin pointed out, going over to the stove and stirring the porridge he was preparing.

"How do you figure that?" Nick asked his dad, still getting used to speaking to him without wanting to tear him limb from limb.

"Well, you seem as American as they come." Robin replied, plopping a spoonful of honey into the porridge.

"And you call Marian 'Mom', not 'Mum'." Judy backed up

"Well, until he was six he always called her 'Mummy', isn't that right Mummy's boy?" Robin sniggered at his only child.

"Awwww." Judy cooed as she poured some milk into her tea. She was getting rather fond of the beverage.

Nick was a tad embarrassed by the reveal, but asked "Speaking of which, where is Mom?"

"She's in her study; she wanted to check something on her laptop while I was making breakfast." Robin answered coming over with two bowls of porridge for the couple. He looked at Judy and added, "Marian said you can't have solid foods for a couple of days, so I thought porridge would be the best bet."

"Thanks Robin." Judy smiled. She was actually famished, having missed dinner the previous night. She took a spoonful of the warm, smooth and sweet porridge and gave a satisfied "Mmmm." It was delicious and just what she needed.

The three sat down together and enjoyed their breakfast in silence for about five minutes until Marian rushed in holding her laptop saying, "You lot need to see this."

"What's wrong?" Nick asked in a worried voice.

"I wanted to check on Bellwether at the prison and…well look." Marian explained with speed and fretting, she set her laptop down on the table so everyone could see. It was a scan of a death certificate, Dawn Bellwether's death certificate to be exact, dated two ago, it read 'Dawn Bellwether Age: 37, Species: Sheep, Cause of Death: Suicide by hanging'.

"Bellwether's dead?" Nick gawped.

"Of course she isn't." Marian corrected "This is bollocks; if the terrorist behind the Night Howler incident had died two days ago, wouldn't the media have picked it up?"

"She's paid someone to keep this quiet?" Judy guessed.

"Seems like it, I’d bet my last dollar on her being loose in the city right now." Robin summed up.

"Luna…" Nick breathed, his distress apparent.

"Nick, she's going to be ok." Judy reassured, putting her right paw atop of his.

"That reminds me, I have to go meet Little John, it's my shift to watch Luna." Robin said, gulping down the remainder of his tea.

"I'll come with you." Nick reacted anxiously, just wanting to know his daughter was safe.

Robin spotted the unsettled expression on his son's face and instructed, "Listen, Nick, it's safer if we travel separately, me being a wanted mammal and all. Plus, I travel by rooftop."

"How will I find you?" Nick asked, sounding determined.

"Call me when you reach the block Luna's school is on, Little John is there." Robin handed Nick a scrap of paper with his phone number on it, "A little bit of advice though, go home and change first." Robin cautioned nodding at the police uniform Nick was dressed in.

"Oh…yeah," Nick realised, looking at himself before standing up.

Robin went over and kissed Marian and said sweetly, "Until tonight, my love." Then he headed for the back door.

Nick then stepped over to Judy and hugged her before kissing her, "I'll be home later, Fluff." he smiled nervously, then looked at his Mom, who had her arms open ready for a hug, but he closed his eyes and brushed right past, following his dad out the back door before closing it, leaving a shocked Marian standing in the kitchen with an uneasy Judy beside her.

"…He walked right by me." Marian uttered, her paws shaking slightly.

"He's just a little hurt right now, he needs to settle down." Judy assured the distraught vixen.

"He hates me." Marian lamented, looking away from Judy.

"No, he doesn't. Look, I'm not his favourite person right now either; it's a shock to his system. Let him be angry, let him vent, then we'll repair what we've broken." Judy eased, guiding Marian to a chair at the table.

Marian sat down and berated herself, "I've royally screwed up, Judy, I'm a terrible mother."

"Don't talk like that! You're an amazing mother and grandmother." Judy responded, wrapping an arm around the upset hacker, before absent mindedly adding, "Plus, you're the closest thing I’ve got to a Mom right now."

Marian picked this up and replied, "What do you mean? You have a mum."

"Uhhhh," Judy sounded, realising she had put her foot in it once again.

"Judy? What's happened with your mom?" Marian asked, her strength returning.

Judy thought about her Mom, about what she had said, and immediately felt like crying for the second time in an hour, "She…she didn't take the news of me being an Inter very well." Judy revealed timidly, and then she began to tell Marian everything.

000

Nick stepped out of the subway station a few streets away from Luna's school, It had just been under an hour since he’d left his Mom's house. He had gone home, had a shower, and got changed into his usual attire of his tacky green Hawaiian shirt and lame tie. While on the subway, all Nick could think about was how the two of the most important mammals in his life had deceived him, Judy and Marian had wounded him, and last night's events was bound to leave a scar. Nick loved the two of them, but he didn't trust them anymore, and that made his heart sink. He couldn't trust his girlfriend or his mother, the only thing he could rely on the two of them for was their protectiveness of Luna. Nick fished out his phone and quickly dialled the number Robin had given, him and put the phone to his ear, it was only ringing for a few seconds when Robin's voice hastily said, " _The Van is parked in the alley beside the book store, opposite the school." b_ efore hanging up.

Nick made his way over to the alley at a normal walking speed so as not to rouse any suspicion. The street was empty, save for a few mammals waiting at a bus stop. Nick entered the alley and spotted the black van with tinted windows instantly. However, when he walked up closer, he could see words on the side, 'R.L.J Air Conditioning repair'. Nick made a "Hmm" noise as he inspected it more closely, it was a magnetised sign. ‘ _Clever, they change the company name every time to avoid detection’_ the ex conman admired.

Nick knocked the backdoor and his old man opened up within in a second, "Come on in." Robin greeted. Nick clambered in and closed the door behind him, looked around the back of the van that was big enough for a grizzly bear and saw one side had a small computer workstation and the other side had a bow and variety of arrows displayed, along with stun grenades, bolt cutters and other heist paraphernalia.

"Little John left already?" Nick asked the obvious.

"He's been up all night, Nicky, I had a friend pick him up and drive him back to our hideout." Robin explained, hopping into the driver's seat so he could keep an eye on the school.

"You guys have a secret hideout?" Nick chuckled slightly, setting himself down in the passenger seat.

"I may as well tell you, it's under the Mother of Mercy church in Sherwood. Old Father Tuck supports our cause." Robin answered.

Nick shook his head slightly and said, "Carrots and I drove by that church everyday while on patrol."

"Hide in plain sight, classic move." Robin grinned.

The two didn't utter a word for the next two minutes; they just kept looking at the entrance of the school where Luna was already busy with lessons. The silence was broken when Nick sighed, "This feels weird."

"…Yeah." Robin agreed, looking at his son.

"Even though I know it wasn't your fault, I still want to smash your face in." Nick voiced his conflicting emotions.

"You think hate can be turned off like a light switch? Of course it can't, it's going to take time for that fire to die down." Robin consoled "If you need to hate me, go ahead."

"Can I ask you some questions? Would that be ok?" Nick asked, sounding vulnerable.

"It's the least I owe you." Robin replied.

"Where have you been all these years?" Nick queried.

"Where haven't I been is the more accurate question." Robin smiled "Mr. Big got me and Little John to Japan. We did the whole 'Robbing from the rich to give to the poor' gig there, then Korea, China, all of Asia, basically, then Australia, a few places in Africa, Europe and South America. The only places we avoided were the United States and Britain; too much risk."

"But what made you come back?" Nick had to ask.

Robin huffed a little before saying, "Your Uncle Johnny and I were noticing a pattern over the next few years, bad stuff was getting shipped to Zootopia. In the Czech Republic, we found shipping containers full of weapons bound for the Zootopia, in Ireland drug shipments, from Thailand more drugs and Brazil had slaves all with Zootopia as a destination. When we left Zootopia, the crime rate was low and old school mobsters like Mr. Big could control the smaller gangs, but over the years it became rotten once again. I figured you were grown up and hopefully still thought I was dead. So, we came back to fix this city…although, I didn't count on a mob war and you hunting me."

"Were you ever tempted to check in on me?" Nick questioned, sounding glum.

"Of course I was, but even after I came back I couldn't, it was too painful. I half expected your Mother to have remarried and you to have a nice stepdad. If I saw that, it would've broken me." Robin answered truthfully.

"Mom…" Nick simply said, the feeling of betrayal stabbed him in the stomach.

"Don't be too hard on her, Nicky." Robin responded with understanding.

"How can you sit there and defend her? You had to leave Zootopia because of something she did; you paid the price for her actions." Nick quietly raged.

"Look, she was twenty three years old and stupid; we're all stupid at that age." Robin justified

"Yeah, but she promised you she'd quit being a damn vigilante. She had a seven year old son to worry about, but she was willing to risk it all for a thrill." Nick groused.

"This life is addicting, it's hard to quit." Robin parried.

"Yeah, but you did quit. You quit for the sake of your family. Mom lied and cost you your happiness, how can you not hate her, Loxley?" Nick snarled.

"Because, I love her," Robin answered calmly "It's as simple as that."

"Nothing is that simple." Nick countered.

"Ok, smart arse; let me guess what you and Judy were fighting about; the gun?" Robin played.

"What's that got to do with anything?!" Nick snapped.

"Do you hate Judy, or do you love her?" Robin asked with a straight face.

Nick was quiet for a moment then conceded "I love her…but I don't trust her."

"That's how I felt about your mother, but I still don't trust her one hundred percent. I love her, but she's a sly vixen." Robin explained.

"And Judy's a sly bunny," Nick added "but how do I stop feeling angry at her?"

"You're allowed to be angry, Nick, but don't hold onto it; it's like poison. Whenever I was mad at your Mum, I'd think of the amazing mammal she is, and that she never intentionally wanted to hurt me." Robin offered.

"…Judy." Nick spoke, picturing her crying face from earlier.

"Look, Nick, if I was you, I'd go home and spend some time with her." Robin proposed.

"But, what about Luna?" Nick worried.

"I'll keep an eye on her; she's my granddaughter, I won't let anything happen to her." Robin promised. "Besides, Marian told me you're picking her up from music practice later."

Nick smiled at his father, "Thanks Lox- I mean, thanks Dad."

Robin felt a surge of happiness when he heard that simple three letter word, but he decided to play it cool, "You're welcome, son." Nick then got out of the van and headed back to the subway station with the fires of hate for his father reducing to mere embers.

000

Pordraic Rattigan and Madame Misdadd were standing in the middle of a deserted construction site in the Sahara Square district, the site was owned by Rattigan and a new apartment complex was going to be built here. Misdadd was looking at her smartphone, more specifically, she was looking at her account balance in a shady bank somewhere in the Caribbean. Despite the M.M gang stealing a few million from her the night before, it was chump change compared to the hundreds of millions she had stashed around the globe and, in the last year, she had seen her wealth grow greatly, thanks to Dawn Bellwether's contacts. Rattigan and Misdadd were now selling the Morrigan drug all across the country and had even started selling the drug in Europe. Some other criminal organisations had tried to replicate the narcotic, but only the Zootopia Trio had the recipe. "I know I complain about Buttercup's strange behaviour, but you can't deny her money making skills." Misdadd commented.

"I remember laughing when I learned that the fearsome Buttercup was the meek little deputy mayor." Rattigan reminisced

"Meek is not a word I would use to describe Dawn." Misdadd tittered.

"No, definitely not, she pulled the wool over everyone's eyes, forgive the pun." Rattigan smirked.

"Speaking of Dawn, she's requested another whore for tonight." Misdadd grimaced.

"If you'd like, I can send someone from one of my brothels, since you had to sacrifice one of your assets last time." Rattigan offered with a smile, fully in the knowledge of the horrible fact he was sending someone to their grave.

"You are a real gentleman, Pordraic, thank you." Misdadd smiled back.

"Does our devilish Dawn have a certain type?" Rattigan asked.

"She said male or female, doesn't matter, as long as it's a predator. If I were you, I'd send one of your cheap whores." Misdadd informed.

At that moment, a silver van with the words 'Speedy Removals Service' pulled into the building site, followed closely behind by a cement truck. "Ah, right on time." Rattigan said, pulling out his pocket watch.

The van parked up beside the two mob bosses and Misdadd's porcupine and cougar guards emerged, then opened up the back doors to reveal three more guards holding onto one captive each, with a black bag over their heads and wrists bound. The three prisoners were brought out into the sweltering construction site and made to go onto their knees as the cement truck pulled up beside the foundations of the apartment complex. Out of the cement truck emerged Rattigan's wildcat enforcer Felicia and Dawn Bellwether, who was riding shotgun. "Good morning." Dawn greeted brightly, going over to the mob bosses.

"And to you, Dawn, or do you prefer Buttercup?" Misdadd replied.

"You can call me either, both names carry fear." Dawn sniggered, before turning to the captives and saying "Shall we begin?"

"No time like the present." Rattigan replied.

"Ok, boys, take their masks off." Misdadd commanded.

The three henchman obeyed and whipped the bags of the three mammals heads, Dawn grinned as saw the three powerful mammals on their knees, and at her mercy; Director Perry Flynn of the MCB, District Attorney Raymond Bastille and Councilman Trevor Moon.

"Wha? Where are we?" Bastille panted, his eyes squinting in the bright sunlight.

"Bastille, they got you too?" Moon panicked, the old wolf was clearly frightened.

"You have to be joking." Perry groaned, looking at the two mobsters and Dawn Bellwether, "What the hell are you doing out of prison?"

"Didn't you hear? Dawn Bellwether hung herself in her cell." Dawn fake gossiped.

"Misdadd! Rattigan! You scum! I'll lock your asses up for eternity for this!" Bastille threatened and thrashed against his bonds.

"W-What do you want with us?" Moon worried out loud.

"To make you a proposition, of course," Misdadd replied.

"We were going to wait until the situation in Tundra Town got worse, but after that riot in Sherwood last night, we had to move up our schedule." Rattigan elaborated.

"What makes you think we'd ever agree to anything you'd offer?" Perry smirked, looking around for a way to escape.

"Easy, our associate here can be very persuasive." Misdadd motioned towards Dawn.

Dawn looked over at the two mayoral candidates and said in a sweet voice, "I'll deal with you two momentarily; I just have to speak to Director Flynn first."

"So, you faked your death? How come I haven't heard about it?" Perry the Platypus asked with spite.

"Easy, I paid off the prison officials to keep it quiet." Dawn answered "You know what else is easy? Being my friend; it has lots of benefits."

"I'm not interested in your blood money; you're nothing more than a terrorist with a warped ideology." Perry reacted.

"Is that your final answer? Last chance, Perry." Dawn offered.

"How's this for an answer." Perry answered before spitting in Dawn's face.

Dawn just smiled and wiped the saliva away before saying, "Ok." Then she pulled out a syringe from her suit pocket and jabbed it in Perry's neck. He collapsed to the floor instantly.

"What?! I can't move." Perry panted.

"It's a paralysing agent." Dawn informed "It lasts for about thirty minutes, more than enough time for this." The ewe then clapped her hooves together and the cougar guard picked up the limp Perry and tossed him into the ten foot deep foundation. Then, Felicia got into the driver’s seat of the cement truck as the porcupine positioned the cement shoot over the paralysed Perry. Felicia turned on the engine and began pouring the cement into the foundation.

"No! Stop it!" Moon howled.

"You monsters, he's a good man!" Bastille bellowed.

But no matter how much they pleaded, the cement didn't stop and, as the pit was filled completely, both mayoral candidates were overcome by horror as they watched as the head of the MCB was murdered in such a twisted manner. "Now that that problem is taken care of, let me deal with you two." Dawn gave a vomit inducing grin.

"You murdered him…" Moon panted, his fear was clear to see.

"Now the three of us pretty much run the dark side of this city, and the role of mayor is obviously a beacon of light." Dawn began, "But light and dark don't fight one another, they work in harmony. That's what we're going to do. You're going to let us act out our enterprising activities and, in return, we'll control the gangs and reduce the crime rate."

"Never!" Bastille barked.

"For o-once, I agree with my opponent, go to hell." Moon defied despite being scared.

"Look, whoever becomes mayor will have to work with us, and whoever loses, well, they'll still have their very useful day job so, win or lose, you're both going to work with us." Dawn persuaded. "Oh, and just as an incentive to keep your mouths shut," Dawn then went over to each candidate and whispered something in their ears, causing them both to look more terrified than before.

"How could you know that?!" Bastille bawled.

"Oh god, no…" Moon mourned, he was trapped.

"If either of you tell anyone about what happened here today, I'll make sure these secrets go public." Dawn threatened, "And, as an added bonus if you do, we'll kill all of your campaign staff just for shits and grins."

"I believe our business is concluded." Rattigan said with satisfaction.

"Yes, kindly escort Mr. Bastille and Mr. Moon back to where you found them, they have a debate tonight." Misdadd instructed her guards and, once again, they were bundled into the back of the van.

"Well, I think that went well." Dawn commented, sounding pleased with herself.

"You do have a knack for negotiation Dawn, bravo." Madame Misdadd complimented.

"Yes, you have definitely earned your little 'Predator' indulgence tonight." Rattigan winked.

"Actually, Rattigan, I've changed my mind. I'm in the mood for a bunny, a female one with grey fur." Dawn replied.

"Oh? I'm sure I have an escort that matches that description." Rattigan pleased.

"Good, send her to my room just before the debate starts," Dawn requested, "and make sure she's wearing a police uniform."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! Where's Perry?! Perry's dead! What did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review, like, fave, follow and reblog! Next time on Take A Stand! Nick and Judy try to heal their emotional wounds, Luna meets someone unexpected, Mr. Big's funeral is held and Jack is faced with the disturbing truth. Please review and c ya soon!)


	22. Luna and her grandfathers

** Chapter 22- Luna and her grandfathers **

Judy had gotten home to the apartment not long after Nick left, the smell of his violet like musk was fresh as she entered through the front door and felt that familiar fuzzy sensation in her stomach. It was a welcome feeling after the crestfallen conversation she had with Marian. Judy had told Marian everything that her Mom had said to her, every cruel word. All the while Marian had held her close and consoled the broken hearted bunny, although, Judy did notice Marian clench her fists and her eye twitch at a few moments. Marian promised to support Judy whenever she needed to talk; it was nice to know that there was a mother figure in her life that she could rely on…even if she was a master thief, cybercriminal and a skilled martial artist who had put a snow leopard in a coma. Judy had an uncomfortable shower (her cast had to be covered with a plastic shopping bag), got changed into a pair of denim shorts and a strappy top that matched the colour of her eyes, and switched on the laptop her and Nick shared to check her Furbook page. There were messages from Clawhauser, Nala, Basil, Skye and Jack, all wishing her well after her trip to the ER last night. She messaged them all back, thanking them for being kind and not to worry. It was then that her smartphone began to ring and vibrate beside her on the sofa; she picked it up and read the name on the screen: 'Heather'. "Huh?" Judy sounded as she read the screen. Heather was one of the Hopps sisters, but if she was pushed to say it, Judy would admit Heather was her favourite. Heather was two years older than Judy at 27 and had embraced the farming life; she was the hot pick to become the next head of the Hopps family, so much so her husband Jacob had taken the name Hopps when they had married. Heather was one of the few siblings who had pushed her to become a cop, and always encouraged her little sister to do her best. With only the slightest of hesitation, Judy swiped at the phone to answer the video call. As soon as the call connected, a chocolate brown doe rabbit, blessed with a muscled upper body, appeared on screen. She was in a simple white tank top that left more room to exhibit her muscles gained from over a decade in the fields of the Hopps farm. "Heather." Judy greeted, her happiness clear in her voice.

 _"Hey, Judy."_  Heather replied with a warm voice and smile, she appeared to be in one of the fields of the farm,  _"It's so good to hear your voice."_

"Same here, I've missed you." Judy admitted.

 _"Yeah, we all miss you."_  Heather said.

"Even Mom?" Judy asked with sarcasm.

 _"Actually, that's why I'm calling_." Heather cut to the chase.

"Are you going to lecture me, too?" Judy queried, bracing for a verbal barrage.

 _"No, no, no. I support you and Nick."_  Heather fretted.

"You do?" Judy asked, wanting confirmation.

 _"I'm with Dad on this one, if you're happy, I'm happy."_  Heather paraphrased.

Judy's heart swelled with happiness as she replied "Thanks, Heather, that means a lot to me."

 _"Well, don't thank me just yet,"_  Heather responded with awkwardness,  _"things have been a little crazy at the farm since kiss-gate."_

"Kiss-gate?" Judy asked, scrunching her nose with confusion.

 _"That's what we've nicknamed the day that you and your boyfriend smooched on TV and Mom went ballistic."_  Heather hastily explained.

"Oh…" Judy sounded, "when you say crazy, how crazy are we talking?"

 _"Like, we're looking at a mini civil war kind of crazy."_  Heather gave a nervous smile.

"Civil war?" Judy half gasped.

 _"Yeah, the family is split down the middle on this, half have sided with Mom and the others have sided with Dad."_  Heather painted the picture.

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers," Judy sighed sadly, "Everyone's fighting because of me and Nick."

 _"Hey, stop that, this is a good thing. This topic needs to be tackled in the family_." Heather pressed,  _"Remember when Connor was the first one in the family to come out as gay? Mom did the exact same thing then, but do you remember what changed her mind?"_

Judy traced her mind back, she was only 14 at the time, but she remembered how upset her older brother had been about how Bonnie reacted to the revelation of him being gay. The Hopps matriarch had used some very hurtful words and she had forbidden Connor from seeing his boyfriend Joe Brae, a handsome buck rabbit whom he was on the high school football team with. But then, something unexpected happened; Joe and his parents turned up on the Hopps porch with some fresh apple pies and cider from their orchard. Bonnie had been caught off guard by this. Mr and Mrs Brae sat down with Bonnie and Stu, along with the two sweethearts, and they talked it out. There were some shouts and screams, of course, but there was also tears and understanding. The Braes had accepted their son for who he was, and they were delighted he was dating Connor because they knew that the Hopps’ were good rabbits. They convinced Bonnie that the romance wasn't perverse, but as true as any other couple. Eventually Bonnie saw the flaws in her thinking and apologised to her son and his boyfriend before finally accepting them. Fast forward eleven years later, and Connor and Joe are a happily married couple and have adopted a dozen kits. "Joe's family showed up at the farm and they hashed it out." Judy recalled.

 _"Exactly, that's what you've got to do; you have to bring Nick and his family to Bunny Burrow to sort out this mess."_  Heather proposed.

"Bring the Wildes to Bunny Burrow? I don't know about that, Nick's mom is very protective of me and him, I can just picture Marian and Mom clashing." Judy mumbled, her ears going droopy.

 _"No one said it would be easy, but it's got to be worth a try. Anyway, you're not the only one feeling the pressure from the whole kiss-gate fiasco."_  Heather convinced.

"What do you mean?" Judy asked with inquisitiveness.

 _"You think you're the only Inter in the family? Pete has been courting a weasel girl at his school, Olivia is smitten with a Prairie dog and Tamara is dating the Badger who works at the local garage."_ Heather revealed,  _"As soon as they heard that Mom had started fighting with you, they revealed who they were dating. Anyway, Mom got so pissed off she kicked them out of the warren and they're crashing at my place in the spare rooms."_

Judy looked dumbfounded as she muttered, "There are four of us?"

 _"Oh, be real Judy, when you have 275 kids in a family, not everyone will like the taste of rabbit."_ Heather smirked  _"So, will you come to Bunny Burrow?"_

"Let me talk to Nick about it." Judy answered with a reserved tone

 _"Great!"_ Heather squealed optimistically,  _"I'll call you later to work out the details, I'll bring Dad along."_

"Wait, Heat-" Judy began to protest, but her elder sister abruptly ended the call, causing Judy to give a frustrated grunt, Safe to say, she was not looking forward to talking to Nick about this, or chatting with her father and elder sister later.

Suddenly Judy's ears shot up in surprise as she heard the sound of keys jingling in the front door of the apartment. She gave a quick sniff and could smell Nick's familiar violet scent on the other side. She set her phone down on the coffee table as Nick entered their home, "Hey, I didn't expect you home so early; I thought you'd be with your dad." Judy commented, still a tad apprehensive after the fight earlier that morning.

Nick then gave Judy a grin that she hadn't seen in a couple of days, one free of stress and strife; it was a classic Nick Wilde grin, "Loxley and I talked through some things and he gave me some useful advice." he informed her as he threw his keys into the little bowl by the door.

"Oh?" Judy sounded as she walked closer to him, curious what had triggered her dumb fox's good mood.

"He told me to let go of my anger from last night and focus on the good things about us." Nick told, his emerald eyes full of playful mischief.

"So, you're not mad at me anymore?" Judy asked with hope.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still mad." Nick burst her bubble.

"Figures, I did screw up," Judy grumbled, looking down at her feet, bitter at herself.

Nick then gently put his paw under Judy's chin and lifted her head so he could see her eyes "But, all the good things about us, the love I feel for you, is still there, sweetheart." Nick charmed.

"Oh, Nick." Judy responded, her heart fluttering.

Nick saw the dreamy look in Judy's amethyst eyes and felt no need to suppress his wanting to kiss her, so he leaned in and snogged her deeply, Judy reciprocated the affection, savouring the closeness and moaning slightly as Nick groped her rear. "Why don't you show me how sorry you are?" Nick teased, baring his fangs.

000

Sometime later, Judy was getting changed into a fresh set of garments after her second shower that morning. She and Nick had shared the shower like usual but, this time, it was complemented by after sex hugs and kisses. Nick was also changing into some clean clothes. He was putting on a black t shirt when Judy piped up, "So, my sister called."

"Which one, Fluff? You have a few." Nick gave a smug response.

"Heather." Judy answered.

"Heather?" Nick mused, "Is she the brown one with the guns?" pointing to his less than impressive arm muscles.

"That's her," Judy confirmed "she says that she supports us."

"That's great, Carrots, I knew your old man couldn't be the only one in our corner." Nick replied with sincerity.

"Heather and my Dad aren't the only ones, turns out half of the family is for us and the other against us." Judy sighed.

"Your Mom’s still pissed at us?" Nick guessed, walking over to Judy and pulling her into a hug.

"Yeah, but it gets worse, as soon as we came out three of my siblings revealed they were inters. She's kicked them out of the family home and they're living at Heather's house." Judy informed, sounding guilty.

"That's awful." Nick reacted.

"The situation back at home is getting worse and worse, so Heather asked us if we could intervene." Judy told with anxiety.

"Us, what can we do?" Nick asked, looking puzzled.

"Well, Heather reminded me of the time my brother Connor came out as gay, my mom had a similar reaction, but his boyfriend's family came to the farm and talked it out." Judy explained, playing with one of her ears nervously.

"Your sister wants us to bring my Mom to Bunny Burrow?" Nick scoffed.

"I know, it sounds ridiculous." Judy commented.

"Ridiculous? Carrots, my Mom put a leopard three times her size in a coma; I can't trust my Mom not to go all Maid mode on your mom." Nick replied with slight bitterness.

"Look, I know you don't trust me or your Mom a lot at the moment, but my family is tearing itself apart, I need to do something." Judy explained, "But I'm not going to apologise for being inter or being in love with you, I need her to see the real us."

Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath before saying "Ok, but it's going to have to be after…aw crap."

"What?" Judy queried.

"Vic." Nick lamented "She's at death's door, we can't leave Zootopia now. We need to be there for Luna when…you know."

"I didn't even think about that." Judy replied, sounding even guiltier as she pictured the dying vixen, "Poor Victoria."

"Look, after 'It' happens, then we can go to Bunny Burrow, but we can't leave Luna." Nick compromised.

"You're right, Luna needs us." Judy agreed, hugging her handsome Fox.

KNOCK! KNOCK! A fist pounded on the front door with a lot of force.

"I'll get it." Judy said, unfazed by the forcefulness of the banging. She got into the hallway when she heard…

"This is the ZPD! Open the Door!" A female voice blasted, These words brought Nick into the hallway wearing a baffled expression.

"ZPD?" Judy mumbled in confusion before replying loudly, "Hold on a sec!" the bunny unlocked the front door to reveal Nala and Clawhauser with their tranq pistols ready.

"Oh, thank god." Nala breathed a sigh of relief looking at Judy.

"Geez, Bun Bun, I was a baby step away from a heart attack." Clawhauser wheezed, clutching a paw to his chest.

"Uh, guys, what's going on?" Judy asked, wondering what warranted such a reaction.

"Spots, Rocky, you two ok?" Nick asked, standing beside Judy.

"We got a call from one of your neighbours about loud shouts and bangs coming from your apartment. They thought you guys had an intruder." Clawhauser informed, putting his pistol back in his holster.

"Loud shouts?" Judy half laughed.

"Yeah, they phoned and said they could hear a woman screaming, 'Fuck! You're killing me!' After what happened last night at the skyscraper, we feared the worst." Nala said, her breaths heavy after running up the multiple flights of stairs.

Judy connected the dots and felt all the skin under her fur heat up with embarrassment, and the skin visible in her inner ears went bright pink, "Oh sweet cheese and crackers." she gasped, before pulling her ears to cover her embarrassed face.

Nick tried to contain his laughter but he started to chuckle, "Oh, this is priceless."

"Nick, don't you dare laugh!" Judy warned, still covering her face with her long black tipped ears.

Nick then started to howl with laughter, he held his gut he was laughing so much, causing Nala to ask, "What the heck is he laughing…wait, what's that smell?"

Judy quickly sniffed the air; the room reeked of stank, so she quickly lied, "It's n-nothing!"

Clawhauser figured it out and began to laugh along with Nick, "All I smell is love."

"Clawhauser, shut it!" Judy yelled.

Nala finally realised what had transpired and scoffed, "Oh, Judy, I never had you down as a screamer."

"Nala!" Judy squeaked, starting to sweat.

"Wait Nala, look, there's some evidence of an altercation." Clawhauser chortled as he pointed to the shredded underwear on the sofa.

"Ah!" Judy sounded, running over and grabbing the wrecked articles of clothing.

"Now wait, Carrots, they may need to bag those for evidence." Nick laughed.

"You're all jerks!" Judy declared loudly, as she disappeared down the hallway with the torn clothes to the chorus of laughter.

000

"Well done, class, that was a great practice." The male Ibex music teacher announced, "But I'm afraid this is our last band practice before summer vacation starts, so have a great and safe summer kids."

"Thank you, Mr. Bloom." The band of students replied.

Luna and Olivia stood by one another, of course, with the tiny mouse standing on a desk beside her much taller best friend. Olivia had noticed Luna had messed up a few times during practice, which was very irregular, the smart mouse figured it must be due to all the stuff happening with Luna's Mom, but Luna had not said anything about it, and that was worrying, so Olivia took the chance and asked "So, how's your Mommy?"

Luna froze for a second as if she had been jabbed by a needle, but answered honestly, "Not good."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have…" Olivia back peddled as soon as she saw the hurt on Luna's face.

"No, it's ok." Luna cut in, "You're the only person at school who's brave enough to ask me, thank you."

"Luna." Olivia simply said, her heart aching as she saw the sadness in Luna's amber eyes.

"I've been sleeping in Mommy's bed the last few nights just to cuddle with her; she's been very tired since the party with her friends." Luna revealed, "When she catches me crying, she just hugs me and tells me it'll be ok, that she'll be my guardian angel soon."

"Your Mommy's amazing; I can totally picture her as an angel." Olivia said kindly, zipping up the bag that held her keyboard.

"Can I ask you something?" Luna requested, putting her violin back in its case

"Sure." Olivia complied.

"You're adopted, right?" Luna asked cautiously.

"Uh huh, my Daddies were best friends with my original parents." Olivia answered, unfazed by the situation "They died in a car accident when I was four."

"Do you remember them, your original parents?" Olivia asked, quite curious.

"Yes, a little. We lived in Scotland; my Mother was a dress maker and my Father owned a toy shop, My Daddies Basil and David lived next door and they worked for the police like they do now." Olivia remembered, "I always remember my Mother singing and my Father reading me bedtime stories, their name was Flaversham."

"My Mommy said something to me last night and I don't know how to feel about it." Luna confessed, offering her paw as a platform for the mouse.

"What did she say?" Olivia asked, determined to get to the bottom of what was bothering the young vixen.

"She told me that when she goes to heaven that my dad will take care of me and Judy will be like my Mom…does that mean my Mommy won't be my mother anymore?" Luna worried.

"No, no, no." Olivia calmed, "Miss Todd will always be your mother, but she trusts your Dad and Officer Hopps enough to look after you, because she knows they love you."

"Really, I'm not going to forget my Mommy?" Luna asked, sounding hopeful.

"I'll never forget the Flavershams, but they trusted my Daddies to raise me because they knew I'd be loved, just like your Mommy trusts Mr Wilde and Miss Hopps." Olivia reassured, hugging one of Luna's fingers to show support.

"Thanks, Olivia, you really are my bestie." Luna grinned.

"Anytime," Olivia smiled back, running up Luna's arm and perching herself on the little vixen's shoulder.

"Oh, one more question?" Luna bridged, walking out of the classroom towards the front entrance.

"Sure." Olivia replied, happy to help.

"Well, when did you start calling Mr and Dr Dawson ‘Daddy’?" Luna enquired.

"You're wondering when to call Officer Hopps ‘Mom’?" Olivia assumed.

"Yeah…" Luna answered shyly.

"Well, I remember the first time I called them Daddy; we had been in Zootopia for a while and we were having pancakes for breakfast, and I just said, 'Daddy, can I have some syrup, please?' I don't know why I said it, it just came out." Olivia recalled.

"What happened?" Luna asked, genuinely absorbed.

"They started crying, not because they were sad, but because they were happy, and then they hugged me. Ever since that day, I've never thought of calling them by their real names, they're just both ‘Daddy’." Olivia elaborated.

"So, do you think one day I'll call Judy ‘Mom’?" Luna wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Olivia shrugged, "but she's really nice and she really loves you."

"You think?" Luna asked once again.

"Well, yeah, at the barbeque she was always checking on you and playing with you." Olivia figured.

"I love my Mommy, my Dad and my Nana, but I think I love Judy too, is that ok?" Luna worried, turning the corner to the main entrance.

"Of course, Officer Hopps is your friend right? It's ok to love your friends and, who knows, if your Dad marries her, she'll be your step-mom." Olivia cooled the fires of Luna's fears.

"You're right, I love Judy!" Luna celebrated, "She's really nice and cool and she's a good girlfriend to my dad." Luna then looked twenty feet in front of her, she could see Nick and Judy waiting for her at the school gates. She had been feeling sad all day with the thoughts of her Mom's illness hanging over her, and she knew that wouldn't disappear, but she knew she always had a family to look out for her.

000

A couple of hours later Luna sat at Nick and Judy's kitchen table doing her homework before dinner, which Nick had said was going to be pizza. He had left a few minutes ago to collect the fast food, whilst Judy was sorting out laundry in the bedroom she shared with Nick. Luna had just finished her science homework (Meant for eighth graders) and was putting her books back in her rucksack when she heard the sound of a phone vibrating on the table she was sitting at. Luna instinctively picked up the phone and saw the name 'Heather' on the screen. She swiped the answer button and the screen switched to Muzzletime mode; two rabbits appeared on screen, a muscle bound doe and a paunchy fifty something buck showed up on the phone screen, and they looked like they were in a barn. "Hello." Luna greeted with sunshine in her voice.

Both rabbits seemed surprised, but were both smiling back at the adorable fox kit. Stu Hopps was the first to reply,  _"Well, hello there little lady, what's your name?"_

"I'm Luna, Sir." Luna answered politely "What's your name?"

 _"I'm Stu, and this is my daughter, Heather."_  Stu introduced.

 _"Hey, cutie!"_  Heather gushed.

"Are you Judy's friends?" the little girl asked.

 _"I'm her dad, actually,"_  Stu chuckled,  _"and Heather here is Jude the Dude's big sister."_

"Oh, I'm sorry Sir," Luna fumbled her words, "I should call you Mr Hopps."

 _"Don't you worry your sweet little head, little'un, you can call me Stu."_  Stu laughed.

 _"So, Luna, are you related to Nick? Are you his niece or something?"_  Heather asked with a smile.

"Nick's my dad." Luna innocently, dropping a bombshell.

 _"Huh?"_  Stu sounded.

"Nick's my Dad, he's a really kind dad, and Judy's super nice." Luna bragged.

 _"What about your Mom?"_  Stu asked, eager for details.

"What word does Mommy use? She says she and my dad are separated, but they're friends and my Mommy really likes Judy." Luna explained.

 _"And you're ok with your dad having a bunny for a girlfriend_?" Stu asked.

 _"Dad!"_ Heather scolded, slapping his arm.

"Yeah I think it's great, Judy is really cool." Luna beamed, "She always plays with me, helps me with homework when I need it, and my Dad and Judy always tuck me in and kiss me goodnight."

 _"Well, well."_  Heather smiled with satisfaction.

 _"I never would’ve expected Judy to be a motherly type_." Stu laughed, before saying to Luna,  _"You keep an eye on my Judy you, hear? You seem like a good girl."_

"Yes sir, I mean, Stu." Luna replied.

 _"She's so polite, too."_  Heather praised.

Judy appeared from the hallway with Luna's PJs in hand, when she spotted the little vixen on her phone and asked, nonchalantly, "You playing a game on my phone, sweetie?"

"No, I'm talking to your Dad and your sister." Luna answered the bunny.

Judy seized up, internal screaming ran through her brain as she calmly asked, "Can I speak to them, please?"

"Sure," Luna answered before turning back to the screen waving, and saying, "bye Stu, bye Heather."

 _"Bye cutie."_  Heather responded.

 _"You look after Jude the Dude now, little'un."_  Stu instructed with joy.

Judy took the phone from the little vixen and said, through gritted teeth, "So nice of you to call."

 _"I did say I would call tonight."_  Heather reminded, before adding  _"Or did you forget while looking after that sweet little ginger cutie?"_

"Heather, don't make a big deal out of this." Judy pleaded quietly.

 _"Jude, she's a little star, how old is she?"_  Stu asked, sounding happy.

"She's six," Judy answered looking down at the cheery kit, "and cute as a button."

 _"So…after all those years of criticizing broody bunnies, you seem to have adapted to the parental lifestyle rather quickly."_  Heather teased with an eyebrow wiggle.

"Well…I." Judy struggled.

"She's a great step mom!" Luna burst with a grin, standing on the table and resting her chin on Judy's shoulder.

 _"I'm sure she is."_  Stu nodded with a smile.

 _"So, did you talk to Nick about coming to Bunny Burrow?"_  Heather asked the obvious question.

"It'll be a couple of weeks, but we'll come." Judy answered.

" _And are you bringing that little lady along? We'd love to have her see the farm_." Stu questioned, his fondness of the kit was apparent.

Luna's amber eyes lit up immediately before asking the doe bunny with rapid speed, "Judy can I go? Please, please, please, please, please."

"Sure, sweetie," Judy smiled back at the kit. It had been her intention to bring Luna along anyway.

Luna squealed, "Yay!", then kissed Judy on the cheek before adding, "You're the best, Judy!"

Judy cherished the show of affection from the child, before saying to Stu and Heather, "We'll see you in a couple of weeks."

000

The rest of the evening went as normal. Judy had told Nick of Luna's chat with Stu and Heather. He groaned for a moment, but accepted it, knowing not many could resist Luna's bubbly and infectious personality. The three shared a pizza dinner, played Jenga and Uno, before reading a couple of chapters of 'The Three Mouse-keteers' by Alexandre Puma to Luna as she drifted off to sleep. A couple of hours later Nick and Judy retired to their bedroom after watching a couple of episodes of 'Stranger Things' on Netflix, a fantastic sci fi series where a young mountain lion goes missing and his friends go searching for him.

It was around 1am when Luna stirred, she was thinking about her Mom again, wondering if she was ok. She reached for her phone on the bedside table, but found it empty, that's when she remembered she left it charging in the living room. She carefully got out of bed and snuck out of her room, only hearing the soft breathing of her Dad and Judy as they slept. Being a fox she had excellent night vision and could easily navigate the hallway towards the open plan living room/kitchen. She went to where her phone was charging beside the kitchen worktop to see that she had no missed calls or new texts. At least her wallpaper gave her comfort; it was her and Victoria doing a silly face selfie. Luna was about to retreat to her room when she heard an odd rattling at the window. Luna's vision shot to the window and could see an odd shaped shadow outside. ‘ _A Burglar!?’_ Luna thought, ‘ _What a dummy, robbing the home of two cops!’_  Luna was standing beside a kitchen cupboard full of pots and pans; as quietly as she could, she pulled out a small frying pan and thought to herself, ‘ _Dad and Judy will be so impressed if I catch a burglar,’_ the little vixen then crawled on her belly to get behind the sofa and wait for the burglar to enter from the fire escape. Eventually, the shadowed figure managed to open the window and stepped into the room, as quiet as a mouse. Luna's eyes peeked over the sofa, she could see the intruder was wearing green all over. As soon as he was past her, she silently slipped over the back of the sofa onto the seats with her frying pan ready to strike, then Luna wasted no time and swung the pan with all her strength, striking the intruder across the back of his noggin and sending him crashing to the ground with a wail. "Dad, Judy; there's a burglar in the apartment!" Luna screamed at the top of her lungs.

Within seconds, the sounds of rushed footsteps could be heard running down the hallway; Nick emerged in his boxers with a baseball bat in paw, while Judy had her tranq pistol ready in her good paw. Judy switched on the light to see Luna, standing victorious on the sofa ,with a frying pan in her paws, while a figure in a green hood was left groaning on the floor, his arrows scattered on the floor and his bow on the floor beside him; the infamous Hood had just been outfoxed by a six year old. "Luna!" Nick panicked, running over, being careful to step over his dad and picked up his baby girl.

"Owww, what hit me?" Robin winced, still on the ground.

"Me, you smelly dum dum!" Luna insulted, waving the frying pan aound, "My Dad and Judy are going to throw your butt in jail!"

"Easy, kiddo," Nick said, taking the frying pan away from his daughter, "Top marks for trash talk ,kid."

"Robin, are you ok?" Judy asked, kneeling down to the dazed master thief.

"I'm fine J-Judy, just a little light headed." Robin brushed off, struggling to his feet.

"Dad, Judy, arrest him, he's a bad guy!" Luna insisted.

"Oh, boy," Nick sighed, not looking forward to the upcoming conversation.

"Sweetie, this isn't a robber." Judy explained to the worked up kit, "He's a friend."

"But he broke through the window!" Luna pointed out.

"That's just his style, kiddo." Nick calmed "Loxley, turn around so she can see your face."

Robin did as he was told while rubbing the sore lump on the back of his head, "Nice to meet you Luna." Robin managed a smile, wishing his first meeting with his granddaughter would be under better circumstances.

Luna was shocked to see another fox and, to make matters worse, he looked a lot like Nick, just older with hazel eyes filled with trepidation. Luna asked her father, "Who is he?"

Nick outstretched his spare paw and put it on Robin's shoulder, and revealed, "Luna, this is my Dad."

"What?!" Luna gasped, her eyes snapping between Nick and Robin.

"I'm your Granddad little one." Robin smiled despite the throbbing pain in his cranium.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ What did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Nest time on Take a Stand, Robin gets to know Luna, Marian and Jack have a much delayed conversation, Bellwether has a 'Guest' and a new alliance is formed in Zootopia. Please Review and c ya soon)


	23. A new alliance

** Chapter 23- A New Alliance **

It had been a crappy week for Sandra Redfield, the twenty two year grey furred rabbit looked around her drab and messy bedroom while she waited for her old laptop to display her new emails, eventually it loaded and displayed messages all containing job application rejections. Sandra let out a sigh before grousing "Looks like it another week of working at the Golden Groundhog." The Golden Groundhog was located in the canal district of Zootopia and owned by known gangster Professor Pordraic Rattigan, to an outsider it looked like a strip joint catering to those who desired both Males and Females of various species but if you were rich enough and knew all the wrong people you were let into the basement of the strip club which was a lot less legal, it was a brothel that dealt in every type of fetish desired. Sandra had started off as a stripper upstairs and proved incredibly popular with both other rabbits and inters who desired a bit of lapin but the management had introduced her to the basement brothel because they promised her more money, sure she did earn more but she had also had developed a nasty gambling habit, most of her earnings including her rent money went on betting websites, she was three weeks behind on her rent now and needed a miracle if she wanted to avoid being kicked out of her place. Add to the fact that she really wanted to get out of the escort business; ninety percent of her clients were regular maM.M.als who just wanted sex but some were a little rougher, sure a little bit of bondage play was ok but some Johns were just sadistic and malicious. Sandra knew she needed to get out of this game as soon as possible before something bad happened, her plan was simple; get a new job, attend gamblers anonymous meetings and start a new life. But as with most things, that was easier said than done. Suddenly her phone began to ring with a cheesy pop song ringtone, she looked at the screen and saw that it was the landline number of the Golden Groundhog calling, she pressed the answer button and placed the phone to her ear and spoke "Hello?"

 _"Hello Miss Redfield."_ A voice purred down the line.

"Felicia? What can I do for you?" Sandra asked, Felicia was Rattigan's top enforcer the overweight wildcat always took care of clients who wouldn't pay up or who were too rough with the prostitutes.

 _"Got an outside job for you, a high roller has requested the company of bunny."_ Felicia tempted.

"Really? How much we talking?" Sandra questioned, a little too eagerly.

 _"$15k we take our usual third so your left with $10k, how does that sound_?" Felicia proposed.

"$10k?! What does this John want me to do?" Sandra queried, stunned by the amount of money she could potentially earn.

 _"The John is actually a Jane, will that be a problem?"_  Felicia asked back.

"No, I don't mind, women tip better anyway." Sandra coM.M.ented, it felt like her luck was finally turning around "So what's this gig entail?"

 _"I'll pick you up and drive you to where the client is staying at, you'll be spending the night with her hence the hefty price, expect a little 'roughness' with this one but the boss man vouches for her, she'll have fun and you'll get paid, so what do you say Sandra, you up for it?"_  Felicia offered.

"Of course, I'll get myself looking pretty." Sandra replied with delight.

 _"Great I'll pick you up at seven pm sharp, be waiting outside your apartment."_  Felicia instructed.

Seven Pm came and Sandra Redfield was waiting outside her rundown apartment building in the 'Dodgy' end of the canal district, to a passer by she would look radiant, a classy figure hugging black dress donned her slim frame, her grey fur was freshly washed and shiM.M.ering and she had a content look on her face, her brown eyes was looking at her phone looking up nearby Gamblers' Anonymous meetings for the next few days. Sandra had a feeling in her heart that this was a lucky turning point and there was no way she was going to waste that luck at the local bookies.

A car horn tooting brought Sandra out of her daze, she looked up from her phone screen to see a black Mercedes Benz with tinted windows pull up to the curb, she knew from memory that this was Felicia's car, she opened the front passenger door and saw the portly wildcat at the wheel in her trademark pink pant suit and lilac ribbon atop of her head "Well don't you look a million bucks." Felicia grinned.

"Thanks, you look nice too." Sandra replied, trying to be nice as possible to the mob enforcer as she got into the car seat and closed the door.

"Ready to make some money kid?" Felicia asked as she put the Benz into gear and began driving down the street.

"You bet, I really need this job." Sandra confided.

"Good thing I thought of you then, by the way there's a bag of clothes by your feet, the client wants you to wear them." Felicia relayed.

Sandra picked up the bag and smiled as she looked inside, it was a cop fancy dress outfit like one you'd get from a costume shop and pair of handcuffs "Ah the old cop fantasy, some things never change." Sandra coM.M.ented, the bunny then got changed into the cheap costume not caring that her body was on display, she used to be a stripper after all.

After a half hour drive Felicia pulled into a luxury gated mansion in the opulent meadowlands district, Sandra let out an impressed whistle before saying "Damn this chick must be loaded."

"Actually your Jane is in the guest house around back, you're sort of a thank you present for this lady." Felicia explained, killing the engine.

"Well there is more than one way to say 'Thank you'." Sandra half laughed as she got out of the car, making sure to bring her purse and handcuffs.

Felicia led Sandra around to the back of the mansion past the pool and beautiful garden to the guest house "Ok let's do this." Sandra cheered herself on.

"Oh one more thing." Felicia spoke up.

"What is it?" Sandra replied.

Felicia took the handcuffs out of the bunny's paws and told "This client is a little kinky, she wants you to wear these cuffs and for you to be gagged."

Sandra shrugged and groaned "Whatever as long as I get paid." Sandra turned around and offered her wrists, Felicia carefully secured the handcuffs before getting a roll of duct tape and placing it on Sandra's mouth.

Felicia knocked the door of the guesthouse and a few seconds later a short thirty something ewe with tortoiseshell glasses opened the door, she looked at the oblivious Sandra and smiled sweetly "Hi Judy, long time no see."

000

Robin's ears were still ringing as he sat down at the kitchen table in Nick and Judy's apartment. Luna, who was sitting on Nick's lap on the opposite end of the table, had her arms folded across her chest and was scrutinizing the outlaw with her big amber eyes. Nick was busy trying to figure out a way to explain this to his daughter and Judy was doing the same as she made everyone drinks, hot coco for Judy, Luna and Robin while Nick was having blueberry tea. Robin looked at his granddaughter's scowl and giggled, "She looks like Marian when she mad at me."

Luna looked up at Nick and whispered, "Is he really your dad?"

"Yeah kiddo, he is." Nick sighed.

"So, you're the famous Luna I've heard so much about." Robin attempted to open the conversation.

Luna let out a small growl to show her distrust, baring her small fangs, "Luna!" Judy scolded, "That's rude."

Luna gave an embarrassed look, and her ears went flat against her skull, "…Sorry, Judy." she mumbled.

Nick had to suppress a laugh at how motherly Judy sounded just then, but he cleared his throat "You should apologise to your Granddad."

"Sorry." she said quickly, before returning to her scowl.

"She's got your fire, Nicky." Robin noticed.

"I guess she does." Nick smiled, kissing his kit atop of her head, causing a small smile to form on the six year olds muzzle.

"So, why are…" Judy began as she set everyone's drinks down.

"Wait." Luna chimed in, "I want to know some things!"

"Luna, it's kind of difficult to explain." Nick tried to gloss over.

Luna huffed, then looked at Judy and said, "Friends don't keep secrets from each other."

Judy looked at the pleading in the little vixen's lovely amber eyes and replied, "Nick, we should tell her, she's pretty much seen enough anyway. Let's give her the whole story…just, without the violence."

Nick listened to Judy's reasoning and decided it was the best course of action, he then said to his daughter, "Go ahead kiddo, ask away."

Luna glared at Robin once more and asked, "What's with that silly costume?"

Nick and Judy both stifled laughs while Robin defended, "It's not silly or a costume, this is my uniform."

"Uniform? You're not a cop," Luna gave a very Nick like smirk, "I bet it's the uniform of the Poo Brain Brigade!"

Nick and Judy couldn't contain their laughter this time as Luna threw playground insults at the master thief, "Poo Brain Brigade, oh, that's good." Judy chortled.

"Whose side are you on?" Robin grumbled.

"Oh, come on Dad, she got you." Nick backed up his baby girl.

Judy noticed how Nick called Robin 'Dad', and that brought an even bigger smile to her face while Robin clarified, "Ok little miss meanie, if you really want to know; I'm a super hero, and this is my uniform."

Nick was about to correct his Dad, but Luna's voice burst with, "You're a super hero?!"

"You betcha' little one," Robin charmed, pulling down his hood, "You just took down the famous Hood with a frying pan."

"Super hero? Really Robin?" Judy scoffed.

"I beat up bad guys; I wear a costume and help the poor of the city, sounds like I should've come out of a comic book." Robin bragged, taking a sip of his coco.

"I guess he's right." Nick begrudgingly agreed.

Luna jumped down off her father's lap and raced over to her granddad, "So, you're that fox on the TV who steals money from naughty maM.M.als and gives it to poor ones?" she asked with excitement

"That's right, Little John, your Nana and me." Robin revealed.

"Dad!" Nick nearly shouted.

"Nice going." Judy tutted.

"Nana Marian is a super hero, too?" Luna gushed with bright eyes.

Robin realised his mistake too late and criticized himself, "Good going, old boy."

"Ok, Mr Super Hero, why were you sneaking through the window?" Judy probed, taking a gulp of her coco.

"I was planning on leaving you this note," Robin answered, pulling a slip of paper out of one of the pouches on his green tunic, "but this frying pan wielding fiend got the jump on me."

"…Sorry," Luna apologised genuinely.

"It's ok, Luna, you thought I was baddie." Robin smiled at the kit.

"If you had a message to send, why didn't Mom call me?" Nick pondered out loud.

"Because we can't rule out…" Robin then looked at Luna, wary of saying his next words, "a certain flower may be eavesdropping."

Judy and Nick caught Robin's hidden message and duo answered, "Ohhhh."

"Tomorrow, you're going to the memorial service at Big's mansion. Marian plans to clue Skippy and Skye on what's going on." Robin told in a manner that Luna wouldn't ask questions.

"Is Marian sure about telling Jack and Skye everything?" Judy asked in a worried tone.

"She says it's essential, and Fru Fru has already agreed to host the meeting." Robin explained, "Johnny, your Mom and I have talked about this most of the evening, it's the only way we can stop the Trio."

"But, Skye and Skippy, they might…" Nick was unable to say 'Arrest you'

"If that is our fate, so be it, but we have to stop the underworld trio." Robin settled before turning to Luna saying, "And I have a super important job for you, Luna."

"Really?" Luna squeaked as her amber eyes grew bigger.

"I need you to keep mine and your nana's secret under wraps, can you do that for us?" Robin asked with charm.

"Uh-huh." Luna nodded "You can count on me!"

"Such a good girl, no wonder everyone loves you." Robin smiled at his grandchild.

"Luna, do you have something to give your grandfather?" Judy asked the lovable kit.

"Huh?" Luna sounded before seeing the bunny mouthing the word 'Hug'.

Luna got the message and leapt at the older fox, wrapping him in a hug, catching the outlaw by surprise, the vigilante gave a soft smile and hugged the kit back, "Why thank you little miss meanie." he said with warmth.

Luna added a kiss to his cheek and grinned, "No problem, Poo brain."

000

The next morning Nick and Judy dropped off Luna at school, reminding her not to spill the beans on the identities of the M.M gang, to which she just grinned, "Of course, I'll keep it a secret."

The couple then went back to the apartment to get changed for the memorial service at midday in Tundra Town, Nick in a black suit, white shirt and tie while Judy wore a black pant suit with a black blouse (although she had to have the left arm of her blouse rolled up to accoM.M.odate her cast). Mr Big, Koslov and Raymond had been buried in separate funerals for family only, but Fru Fru along with Koslov and Raymond's families had agreed to hold a joint memorial service at the Big estate, seeing as they were all like one big family. As soon as Nick and Judy arrived, they noticed a huge security presence around the mansion; the only members of the Big crew who weren't on Guard Duty were Finnick and Kevin, who looked as miserable as everyone else. You'd never know it but, under his tough exterior, Finnick was a sentimental and caring sort of guy. While Judy was offering her condolences to Fru Fru and Gino, Nick found the fennec outside in the courtyard, smoking a cigarette.

"I thought you quit." Nick opened, noticing the morose look on his friend's face.

"So did I." Finnick replied, exhaling smoke.

"How are you holding up?" Nick asked with concern.

"Honestly? I feel like a worthless piece of shit." Finnick revealed, taking another drag of his ciggie, "I keep replaying the scene over and over again in my head, wondering if I could have done anything to save them."

"Finnick, don't talk like that, there is nothing you could've done." Nick consoled.

"That's what Fru Fru said to me, but it doesn't stop the way I feel…" Finnick replied, tears forming in his eyes.

"What you should be thinking is 'What would Mr Big say?'." a kind voice advised.

Nick and Finnick turned to see Marian, wearing a black dress and black overcoat, walking towards them, crunching through the fresh snow, "Marian." Finnick simply said, tears now falling from his eyes.

Marian knelt down to the much shorter fox and continued "We'll never forget Raymond, Koslov or Mr Big and, yes, you're hurting right now, but do you know what Mr Big would say?"

Finnick stubbed out his ciggie in the snow and answered with a sniff "The old man would probably say something like, 'We need to care of each other while we take of business'."

"That's right; we have to be there for each other now more than ever." Marian reiterated, before pulling the fennec into a hug.

Finnick returned the hug for about five seconds, pulled away, wiped away the last of his tears, and then growled up at Nick, "You tell anyone I was crying, I'll bash your face in."

"There's the Finnick I know." Nick smiled.

"Right, I best go set up the office for this 'Meeting', see you two in a bit." Finnick waved off before walking back into the mansion to join the other mourners, leaving Nick and Marian alone.

Marian seemed uncharacteristically fidgety and awkward as she looked at her son, the events of the last couple of days were still raw. Marian seemed afraid to talk, she had hurt Nick with her secrets and now she was unsure of how to repair their bond. Luckily for her, Nick spoke first, "You don't have to look so frightened, Mom, it's just me, remember?"

"I know…it's just after yesterday morning..." Marian struggled.

"I was angry at you." Nick stated.

"And now?" Marian asked with worry.

"I still am, a little, it's going to take some time to heal." Nick voiced his feelings.

"I understand." Marian gave a sad sigh.

Then Nick decided to be the bigger maM.M.al and opened his arms, "I think I owe you a hug."

Marian didn't think twice, she just rushed over and hugged her son, "I'm sorry, my little kit."

"I know Mom, it's ok," Nick eased as he hugged his Mom back.

Back in the mansion, Jack and Skye had just arrived. They made a bee line for each of the victims' families to offer their sympathies; the families seemed to appreciate this, even if Jack and Skye worked for the other side of the law. Skye poured herself a cup of coffee from the laid out buffet and downed half of the cup in one gulp. Judy was walking over and saw this, then questioned, "You ok, Skye?"

"Oh, hey Judy," Skye replied, she seemed really tired, "thanks for the concern, but I shouldn't talk about my own troubles at a memorial service."

"It's alright, just talk quietly, now what's up?" Judy asked in a kind manner.

Skye looked at the supportive bunny and decided she really needed to vent, "It's just been a crazy 48 hours. First, the Sherwood riot, then catching and losing the M.M. gang, Perry's gone AWOL and I feel so crappy after starting my treatment."

"Treatment?" Judy queried.

"I just started my fertility treatment yesterday; Jack and I are trying for a baby again." Skye couldn't help but smile.

"That's great news." Judy replied with hushed excitement.

"Yeah, and I was supposed to have the day off yesterday to relax but Perry's gone away without telling anyone. The rest of MCB are really worried." Skye revealed.

"And you're not?" Judy wondered.

"Nah, this is Agent P we're talking about, he probably got a tip about a case and is looking into it. I swear, for a director, that platypus loves being in the field." Skye answered with confidence.

"Excuse me, ladies." a deep voice addressed, The bunny and the arctic fox looked down to see Finnick, "Fru Fru has requested your presence in the office."

"Umm, ok." Skye replied, wondering what the mourning shrew could want.

Skye and Judy were brought into the office to find Fru Fru, donned in a black dress, sitting in her father's tiny chair on the mahogany desk. Nick, Jack and Marian stood waiting for the meeting to begin. "Judy, Skye, please come in." Fru Fru beckoned, the usual bubbliness in her voice was absent for obvious reasons.

"Is everything ok?" Skye asked the little shrew.

"No, it is not, but hopefully, by the end of this conversation, things will be back on track." Fru Fru answered cryptically, "But first; Finnick would you kindly?"

"Of course, boss." Finnick nodded. He locked the door he and the others came through, then picked up an empty black travel bag resting by a bookcase and brought it over. "Ok folks, throw your phones and any weapons in the bag."

"What? Why?" Skye scoffed.

"This is the way things are done when discussing business." Fru Fru answered.

Jack produced his pistol, emptied the magazine and the chamber before tossing it in the bag, "What exactly are we going to be talking about Fru Fru?" Jack asked, sounding puzzled as he got out his phone and added it to the bag.

Fru Fru didn't answer, she just watched as everyone got rid of their side arms and phones, even Finnick. "Ok, now that that's taken care of, let me just say thank you for coming today and honouring the lives of my daddy, Koslov and Raymond. These brutal murders have destabilised the entire criminal world of Zootopia, and if we don't act now, more blood will be spilt, maybe even innocents. So, that's why I humbly ask for your assistance, District Director Winter." Fru Fru said eloquently and with the presence that her late father coM.M.anded.

"You want my assistance? How can I help?" Skye asked back, feeling out of her depth.

"I need you to convince the MCB to take the Morrigan drug case from the ZPD." Fru Fru requested.

"I'm sorry, Fru Fru, but we already have a big case on at the moment; the M.M. gang." Skye replied.

"But, they're both linked, the only reason the M.M. gang came back to Zootopia was the escalating mob activity." Fru Fru countered.

"And how do you know this?" Jack asked with suspicion, folding his arms.

"Because, I told her," a voice spoke up. Everybody turned to see Robin in his Hood guise coming through the other door.

"Son of a bitch!" Skye snarled, her fists clenching.

"Nice to see you again, Robin." Jack said bitterly, "You left without saying goodbye the other night."

Skye marched over to the vulpine vigilante and said clearly, "Robin Loxley, you are under arrest…"

"Blah blah blah," Robin cut her off, "Listen Winter; I know you want to lock me up, and that's fine, but can you at least hear us out before you slap the cuffs on me?"

"Why you…" Skye stopped herself from cursing, remembering she was at a memorial service.

Jack looked at Nick, who wasn't showing any sign of anger and concluded, "You knew about this."

"Believe me, Skippy, I can hardly get my head around not wanting to beat the living daylights out of him either." Nick answered honestly.

Skye turned to Nick and Judy with a look of disbelief, "You're both dirty cops?"

"No, of course not," Judy defended.

"You are willingly working with a wanted criminal, that makes you dirty." Skye countered.

"Will you just listen to Robin please? Once you hear what he has to say, you'll understand." Nick persuaded.

"Fine, let's hear it Hood." Jack said with sharpness.

"Actually, I think it's best if the leader of the M.M. gang explains it to you." Robin suggested.

"Leader? The third member?" Skye gawped.

"Where is he?" Jack asked eagerly.

"Actually, he is a she." Marian spoke up, taking off her overcoat.

Skye turned around and looked at Marian and uttered, "No way."

"Marian?" Jack gasped

"Allow me to introduce myself; they call me the Maid." she said, walking over and standing beside her husband.

"This, I can't…" Jack babbled, his brain trying to process this.

"You're the third member of the Merry Mammals gang?" Skye asked, feeling the same disbelief as Jack.

"Actually, it's the Maid Marian gang, Nottingham gave us that name years ago, and it stuck." Robin corrected.

"So, all the heists over the last few months, you've been a part of it all?" Skye questioned Marian.

"Oh, heavens no, dear, I just helped out the other night at Misdadd's skyscraper." Marian informed.

"But…" Jack began to ask another question.

"Now now, there will be time for questions later. Right now, I need to explain to you everything that's going on with the Morrigan case." Marian interrupted the striped buck rabbit.

"Fine, start from the top," Skye sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

"The Underworld trio is the heart of this problem; Madame Misdadd, Professor Rattigan and Buttercup." Marian started.

"Buttercup; that's the name you had Finnick pass on to me." Jack remembered, "Who is this third player?"

"Dawn Bellwether." Robin answered bluntly.

"Bullshit, she's in prison." Skye dismissed.

"Actually, officially she's dead, hung herself." Marian clarified.

"What? No, that would've made the news." Jack poked holes in truth.

"Not if the prison officials were paid off to keep her death quiet." Marian theorized, "Listen, Bellwether has used the Buttercup persona for at least five years, blackmailing and bribing most officials in the city. She has contacts in City hall, the DA's office, ZPD precincts and we think the MCB, too. And now she's faked her death and out in the city, causing chaos like that massacre at the cemetery."

"What makes you think MCB is compromised?" Skye asked in a serious manner.

"Perry Flynn is missing, right? I've been hearing chatter about how he vanished out of his hotel room and, conveniently, all the security cameras stopped working at the exact same time he vanished. You've got one of Bellwether's stooges in your bureau." Marian painted a picture.

"You hacked into the MCB's feeds?" Nick criticized his mom.

"I was looking for any sign of Bellwether's interference, when I found the chatter; the only people who knew Perry's location were MCB agents, so someone betrayed him." Marian explained.

"Oh god, it all makes sense." Skye realised.

"So, where's Perry?" Jack asked with dread.

"My bet is, the underworld trio tried to buy his allegiance, but when he refused they killed him, I'm sorry." Robin answered with sympathy.

"No." Skye mumbled with sadness.

"And it's not just the MCB, they managed to kill Bambi Prince and plant a spy cam on Judy at the ZPD, The trio are everywhere." Marian told.

"Wait, a spy cam? Are you serious?" Skye asked Judy.

"Those glasses were a ruse, turns out Bellwether was keeping an eye on Nick and I…she would've seen a photo of Luna we keep in our cubicle." Judy answered, her ears going droopy with sadness.

"That's why you've sided with the M.M. gang, to protect Luna?" Skye guessed.

"Luna's not safe, and neither is anyone else while the Underworld trio are in control." Nick added, taking a hold of Judy's uncast paw.

Skye took a moment to process what she just heard. She took a deep breath, and then looked at Robin and Marian, "Ok, if we agree to work together, what is it that you want?" she asked

"We will give you all the intel we gather and help you take down the trio, and in return, we want pardons for past crimes." Robin offered.

Jack let out a laugh, "You're joking, right?"

Skye gave a steely gaze, then followed up with, "And what if this is all just some crazy conspiracy theory?"

"Then we'll turn ourselves in." Marian answered.

"What?" Judy gasped.

"Mom, Dad, no!" Nick protested.

"Our minds are made up, Nicky; if we fail, we'll surrender." Robin stated.

Before Nick and Judy could protest any further Jack said, "Before we agree to anything, we need some assurances."

"Like?" Marian queried.

"Give us a little intel now, as a show of good faith." Jack instructed.

Marian nodded and said, "Ok, but you might not like what you hear."

"How do you mean?" Jack asked with puzzlement.

Marian walked over to the mini bar in the corner of the room and began to make her and Jack a drink, then, with a heavy heart, she began to tell Jack what she knew, "So, the reason Rattigan and Misdadd wanted to buy that swampland was for the massive amount of Night Howler flowers that grow there."

"Night howlers?" Judy butted in, "Why would they want Night Howlers?"

"No idea." Robin shrugged.

"Is that it?" Jack steered the conversation back on the right track.

"I wish it was," Marian answered with a sad voice, as she mixed the drinks "when Robin and Little John were interrogating Thumper, they asked him why they burnt down…" Marian couldn't say the last bit of the sentence, it stung too much.

"My home…why?" Jack asked, seething.

"Thumper and Flower were ordered to burn down three buildings in order to clear the areas and make the land cheap for purchase; Madame Misdadd ordered the arson attack." Marian revealed

"Misdadd? She's the one?!" Jack raged, his fists clenching and anger boiling in his heart.

"I'm sorry, Skippy." Marian consoled, continuing to make the beverages.

"But why?!" Jack blasted.

"Thumper said Misdadd was after something under Sherwood." Marian answered.

"Something under Sherwood, like what?" Skye questioned.

"That I don't know, I don't have the right resources for that info, but you guys do. Whatever the Underworld trio has planned, it's got to be linked to those fires and the Night Howlers." Marian answered Skye.

"If what you say is true, and if you help with our investigation, you'll get your pardons, deal?" Skye stated, trying to figure out a way to convince the higher ups to let her open a new case.

"Deal." Marian and Robin replied in unison.

"Wait a sec; let me just think about this for a moment." Jack stressed. "I just can't get over that you're the boss of the gang and that you've been lying to us all along." Jack stared at his Godmother with disbelief once again. He wanted to shout at her, thank her, and arrest Marian all at the same time.

"Oh, chin up, Skippy, you'll get over it." Marian stated

"Somehow, I think it won't be that easy. You're the Head of the M.M. gang I have to take you down." Jack replied, wishing that he had never come to this funeral.

"You heard what Fru Fru, Nick and Robin said, we have to work together to bring down the Underworld trio." Marian persuaded, handing Jack a Vodka martini.

Jack gave the vixen he once trusted a questionable look. If he agreed to this alliance, his and Skye's careers could be over, but if he didn't, he would never have justice for his family. Jack took the drink and downed it one gulp before answering, "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Good lad, Skippy." Robin smiled.

"So, when can we start investigating?" Skye asked, sounding professional.

"Tomorrow night, I think it's time we found out what Misdadd is hiding." Robin proposed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ So what did you think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Next time on Take A Stand; Nala and Clawhauser make a grim discovery, Jack teams up with Maid Marian and Luna plays her violin. Please review and C YA SOON!)


	24. Salut d'amour

** Chapter 24- Salut d'amour **

It was just after 9am when Nick and Judy pulled into the parking lot of the storage locker place on the outskirts of Savannah Central. Nick switched off the engine and the both of them got out of the Audi convertible and scanned their surroundings to make sure they weren't being spied upon. "Which locker did Skye say we needed to go to?" Nick asked, sounding serious.

"86." Judy replied, noticing they were standing in the 50 to 60s area. The duo followed the numbers to their desired location, Most of these lockers were made with very large mammals in mind, like Giraffes and Rhinos, making Nick and Judy appear tiny. They finally reached locker 86 and Judy knocked twice on the metal shutter. Almost instantly, the small, mammal sized, hatch on the door opened, with Jack beckoning them in.

Nick and Judy walked into the elephant sized storage locker and were amazed by what they saw; there were multiple desks with MCB agents typing away at computers. Crates and crates of weapons and tech and, in the centre of the room, Skye Winter was talking to the three members of the M.M. gang who were dressed in their regular civilian attire. Nick gave an impressed whistle before saying, "Wow, you feds move fast."

"Well, after the memorial service yesterday, Skye and I did some digging about potential leaks in the bureau." Jack explained, "Once we found your suspicions were true, we mobilized a new task force against the Underworld trio."

"So there was an informant in the MCB team at Precinct 1?" Judy queried.

"Yeah, apparently the MCB's own internal affairs have been suspicious for a while, as of this moment, everyone on that team is under suspicion. Even Skye and I have had to surrender all our devices and allow access to our bank records so that internal affairs can rule us out." Jack elaborated, "All these agents you see are from field offices across the other side of the country, to make sure the trio hasn't influenced them."

Skye spotted Judy and Nick approaching and said in a friendlier manner than yesterday, "Glad you two could make it."

"No problem, but we're a little puzzled as to why you called us down here." Judy said, wanting a explanation.

"Internal affairs and the deputy director, want you to sign some paperwork, just to be on the safe side." Skye answered, holding up a file.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day we were working with the suits." Little John complained.

"Easy, Johnny," Robin calmed his best friend down.

"Look, Mr. Little, we may not like working with each other, but we'll have to set aside our differences if we want to succeed." Skye squared up to the much larger mammal.

"Miss Winter is right John, so drop the bear with a sore head routine." Marian added.

"Wait, if Little John's here, who's keeping an eye on Luna?" Nick fretted.

"Don't worry, Nick, I have a three mammal team on guard detail on the little lady," Jack assured "I handpicked the agents myself."

"Thanks buddy." Nick smiled genuinely.

Five minutes later, all the paperwork and contracts had been signed to guarantee Nick and Judy would face no punishment for assisting the M.M. gang, and that if the trio were brought down, the Hood, the Maid and Little John would all be given clean slates. "So, now that all of that legal crap is taken care of, we can get down to business." Skye announced. "Tonight, we're conducting a recon mission."

"Where are we headed?" Robin asked.

Before Skye could answer, Jack spoke up, "Sherwood Haulage yard, owned by Madame Misdadd. It was built where the PJ apartment building used to be."

"Skippy." Marian simply said, the memory of the fire seared into her brain.

"We're still digging through the records to find out what's under Sherwood, but we've hit some snags." Skye admitted.

"What kind of snags?" Little John probed.

"Like government red tape, whatever is under Sherwood, the US government had something to do with it, but we're trying to declassify the records so we can get an idea of what we're dealing with." Skye explained quickly and concisely.

"And in the meantime, we're going on a sneaking mission into the yard to see what Misdadd is hiding." Jack proposed.

"Without a warrant? Even if you find something, it would never hold up in court." Judy shot down.

"I won't need a warrant. Officially, I'll be in pursuit of an M.M. gang member." Jack smirked.

"Hood, are you up to the task?" Skye questioned the vigilante.

"Well, if it's a sneaking mission, Johnny and I are not the top picks, you'll need this beauty." Robin nodded at his wife.

Marian shoved her beloved playfully and grinned, "Flatterer."

"Marian?" Skye and Jack responded in unison.

"Mom, isn't this a little dangerous?" Nick worried out loud.

"Oh hush, Nicholas, I'm a grown woman, I can take care of myself." Marian countered.

"Believe me, folks, the Maid can move like a shadow. How do you think she's avoided detection all these years?" Little John bigged up.

The conversation was broken by the sound of Nick's guitar riff ringtone. He fished it out of his pocket and saw it was Victoria's home phone calling. He pressed answer and said, "Hey Vic."

" _Nick, you and Judy need to come over to the penthouse_ ," a solemn voice instructed, it was Grace; Victoria's personal assistant.

"Grace, what's wrong?" Nick asked, the concern in his voice caused everyone to tense up.

 _"It's Vicky, she took a turn for the worse in the night. The doctor says…."_  Grace tried to explain, but the words were too painful, she choked on her sadness.

"Grace, just breathe, tell me what's going on." Nick tried to calm the Panda down.

 _"It's going to happen in the next few hours, she's going to die."_ Grace forced herself to reply.

"No…" Nick whispered.

 _"Luna's in a terrible state, she needs you and Judy."_  Grace enforced.

"Of course, we'll head straight over." Nick confirmed before hanging up.

"It's happening, isn't it?" Marian asked her son with a heavy voice.

Nick just nodded in reply.

"Poor Victoria," Judy sympathised.

"Take care of her," Robin reminded "and of Luna."

"We will." Nick answered, already walking to the exit of the storage locker, knowing his baby girl was going through emotional hell right now.

000

Nick was driving over the speed limit as he drove over to the Treetops building in the posh part of Savannah Central. Judy didn't even notice how fast Nick was driving, all she cared about was looking after Victoria and Luna in their darkest hour.

Nick parked his car in the visitors parking spot in the underground car park beneath the building before making their way to the lobby of the Treetops where the Elephant concierge looked like he was expecting the pair.He handed them a spare penthouse key with his trunk and the couple made their way up to Victoria and Luna's home. The elevator dinged as it reached the penthouse, the two stepped out to see no one around. They made the assumption that everyone must be in Victoria's room, so they made their way down the hallway and heard the murmur of voices coupled with the beep of a heart monitor behind a double door, Nick softly knocked on the door and ,soon enough, a dejected looking Grace opened it "Hey, thanks for coming so quickly." She greeted.

"Of course," Nick replied, walking into the room with Judy following.

"You made it, come join the party." a weak voice called over.

Nick and Judy turned to see Victoria lying in what looked like a very high tech hospital bed. The top of the bed had been positioned so she could sit up and look around her. The thirty one year old vixen was wearing a fragile smile and a purple bath robe covering her matching silk pyjamas. What little weight Victoria had possessed over the last few weeks was now gone, she was practically fur and bones. Her black fur looked glossy and freshly groomed; she was always the type who wanted to look their best no matter the circumstances. Her amber eyes looked heavy and tired, her breathing was laboured but, despite it all, she had her arms around Luna, who's own amber eyes looked like they had been crying all morning, but it also seemed like she hadn't noticed Nick and Judy walk in. The medical team, a male boar nurse and a female wolf doctor, were busying themselves by maintaining the steady flow of pain relief meds to Victoria. Nick and Judy approached Victoria's bedside, feeling stunned, they had no idea of what to do or say. Luckily for them, the morphine had just started to hit Victoria, "Yeeesh, looking at your faces, I'd say I had already checked out." she wheezed a laugh.

"Always a joker, even now," Nick smiled at his ex.

"At least I ain't smug, like you." Victoria kidded, "Seriously, Judy, how do you put up with his constant smugness?"

"Easy, I just knock him down a few pegs when he gets too full of himself." Judy willed herself to join in the joke, despite her heart bleeding.

"Atta' girl." Victoria giggled before coughing, she then looked down at Luna and said, "Baby, your Dad and Judy have dropped by, aren't you going to say hi?"

Luna slowly looked up at Nick and Judy; she broke from her haze and mumbled, "Dad." Before outstretching her arms, Nick lifted his daughter up and held her, Luna hugged tightly as if she was getting some emotions out. Nick just hugged back and kissed his little girl on the cheek.

"She's been so good, keeping me company and cuddling." Victoria praised, "She’s such a little treasure."

"She sure is." Nick agreed, before Luna reached out to Judy with a paw.

Judy automatically opened her arms and Nick set Luna down on the floor so she could get a hug from the bunny. Luna wrapped her arms around the Bunny with an equally tight hug; Judy embraced her step daughter and gently stroked the fur atop of her head. Victoria saw this and expressed warmly, "You got that magic touch, Judy."

"It comes from being one of the eldest in a big family." Judy replied, still hugging the fox kit.

"How many brothers and sister have you got?" Victoria asked, wanting some friendly conversation to take her mind off the pain she was feeling.

"275." Judy answered.

"Whoa, I thought having one was a handful." Victoria replied slowly, her breathing was making talking difficult.

"Is Heather your big sister?" Luna asked Judy out of nowhere.

"Yeah, she's a couple of years older than me." Judy answered the saddened child.

"Luna's been telling me that she's going to Bunny Burrow to meet your family, Judy, what's it like there?" Victoria asked, wincing a little with pain.

Judy saw the pain in Victoria's face, but continued "It's a farming community and, just to play into that bunny stereotype, we're carrot farmers."

"And blueberries, let's not forget those beauties." Nick commented.

"Y'know, it's weird, I always wanted to visit a farm, but I never did." Victoria regretted "When I was little, I used to have a make believe farm in my parent's garden, my favorite toy was this little tractor…I always wanted to ride a real one. Judy, does your family have tractors?"

"Dozens of them," Judy replied, willing herself not to cry as she heard the dying woman regrets.

"Good, Luna can you do Mommy a favor?" Victoria asked.

"Uh-huh." Luna sounded.

"When you visit Bunny Burrow, can you ride a tractor for me? I want to look down and see you having some fun." Victoria requested with a kind smile.

"I promise." Luna complied with a nod.

Then, for the next few minutes, there was an awkward silence that hung in the room; the only sound was the creepily annoying sound of the heart monitor. Soon enough, Victoria's frustration with the sound had reached its limit, "For heaven's sake, can you turn that damn machine off?", she snapped at the doctor.

"Miss Todd, this is essential medical equipment." the wolf doctor responded.

"Look Doc, I really appreciate what you and your nurse have done for me, but I don't want the last sound I hear to be that freaking beeping, so please switch it off." Victoria insisted.

The doctor and nurse gave in to their patient's wishes and turned off the monitor and removed the pulse oximeter and ECG cables from Victoria's body, the only thing left connected to her was the multiple syringe pumps and the IV fluid bag going into the two cannulas on her left arm. Victoria then glanced at Luna, who was standing between Nick and Judy and asked, "Hey baby, want to play some music like we used to?"

Luna's eyes lit up for a moment, but went sad again quickly as she asked back, "Are you sure? Aren't you tired?"

"I think I can make it to my piano." Victoria assured, pointing to the very expensive looking piano in the corner of the room "Doc, can you give me a hand?"

The doctor was about to protest, but thought better of it, there was no way she was going to deny a request from a dying patient, so she signaled the boar nurse to help her assist Victoria over to the piano. Luna rushed out of the room to fetch her violin as Victoria slowly made her way over to the piano with the help of the medics. Victoria sat on the small cushioned seat at her piano, she hadn't played it in weeks due to her pain and worries, but this was going to be her last chance. Luna walked back into the room with her violin and bow in hand, all the grownups in the room could see the woe in her face, but the kit was determined to play music with her Mommy one last time.

"What do you want to play, Mommy?" Luna asked, trying her best to keep her tears at bay.

"Well, let me think," Victoria mused with a pant "how about Elgar's ‘Salut d'amour’?" the black vixen played a few keys to refresh her memory.

"…Ok." Luna managed a smile, positioning her violin correctly. Nick and Judy weren't even trying to hide their tears as they watched the child and dying mother share one final song together (AN/ I recommend you listen to 'Salut d'amour' for the next part)

Luna drew her bow across the strings and began to play the piece of music, tears running down her face as the room filled with a magical melody. The music was enchanting, each tender note shared between mother and daughter triggered a memory for them; every birthday, every Christmas, every cuddle, every time they said 'I love you' to each other, every bedtime story all of those memories came flooding back and ran freely like the tears in the room. During the middle of the piece, Victoria and Luna looked at one another and the mother declared loudly, "I love you, Luna."

"I-I love you too, Mommy." Luna cried, as she continued to play flawlessly. The mother and daughter played with precision and passion as the music played on and simultaneously broke and warmed every adult's heart in the room, the piece reached its climax before slowly winding down like gentle raindrops until the last note was played.

The music ended and Nick was the first to clap, it was a beautiful performance and had touched everyone. "You two are great musicians." Nick complimented before wiping away some stray tears.

"Yeah, looks like you inherited your musical skills from your mom." Judy gave a sad smile to Luna, her eyes looking like watery pools of amethyst.

"How about an encore, Vicky?" Grace suggested, using a handkerchief to get rid of the tears soaking her cheeks.

But Victoria didn't answer.

"Vicky?" Grace asked with fear, the vixen wasn't moving and her strained breathing could no longer be heard.

The doctor picked up on this, walked over and put a couple of fingers on Victoria's neck to check for a pulse. The wolf physician let out a sigh and said, "She's gone."

"What!? No, she was just…" Judy exclaimed, feeling a rush of emotion overcome her.

Luna walked over to where her Mother was sitting and noticed her eyes were closed and a small smile was on her muzzle; she had passed away happy. Luna got on her tip toes and kissed her mom's cheek. Nick stepped over to Luna and brought her into a deep hug, the child began to bawl with grief. Judy joined the hug, but was crying herself, Nick looked at Victoria's forever sleeping face and silently promised to love and protect Luna for as long as he lived.

000

It was 1pm now and the streets of downtown Zootopia were bustling with mammals trying to grab a bite to eat. Clawhauser and Nala were hungry as well. Nala was driving their cruiser to a pizzeria that had, in Clawhauser's opinion, the best slices in the city, but they were being held up by traffic, as usual, "Ugh, I wish I could just put on the sirens so we can skip this crap." Nala pined.

"Mason would lecture you on proper siren use though." Clawhauser chuckled.

"So, how are things going with you two?" Nala asked her partner.

"Great actually, he's meeting my dad this weekend and he's even suggested me moving into his place." the happy cheetah gushed.

"You two are the cutest couple ever," Nala cooed, "I never would have thought the Chief had such a soft side."

"Believe me, he's about as brutal as a rose petal, he just works out to be healthy, not look intimidating." Clawhauser explained.

"And you don't complain about having a muscle bound boyfriend." Nala teased.

"It is a bonus," Clawhauser laughed, "and lucky for me, Mason prefers a curvier kind of male."

Before Nala could add anything more to the conversation the radio buzzed into life with Gleeson's voice " _This is dispatch, are there any units near Gresty Road in downtown?"_

Clawhauser grabbed the radio mouth piece and replied, "Priderock and Clawhauser here dispatch, what do you need?"

 _"We just got a call from some guys doing repair work near a sewer; apparently they've found a body."_ Gleeson explained.

"We'll go check it out," Clawhauser acknowledged, putting the mouth piece back in the cradle "looks like pizza will have to wait."

"If it's a corpse, I think I'm going to lose my appetite." Nala commented, flicking on the sirens and lights before speeding off towards Gresty Road.

It didn't take long for them to find the destination, a group of mammals wearing high visability vests and hard hats were waving down the cruiser. Nala and Clawhauser got out of the car and asked the foreman of the repair crew what happened. He just said they were sent to inspect a blockage of one of the storm drains and had found a body. They pointed the cops in the right direction, behind a building and down a grassy bank.

Clawhauser looked around the area but soon enough he found something that made his heart drop, about fifty meters away was the body of grey furred rabbit dressed in a cop uniform, his mind automatically jumped to "Judy!?" he gasped, he raced down the bank with Nala close to him sharing the same worry. The body was wedged in a storm drain, multiple blood blotches covered the uniform, the mouth was slack jawed with the now grey swollen tongue hanging out, brown eyes wide and frozen with terror and half of her left ear was hanging off. "Oh god." Nala uttered, the smell of decay was overpowering.

"It's not Judy, thank the stars." Clawhauser gave a sigh of relief.

"But damn she looks like her," Nala noticed "wait what's that?" the lioness pointed to a fake police badge made out of gold foil, and written in black marker was the words 'Officer Hopps'

The two feline cops saw this and looked at each other with matching worried expressions "We need to call the Chief." Nala decided.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! Buttercup has struck again! What did you guys think!? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! On the next chapter of Take a Stand, the Maid is back in action, Nick and Judy try to help Luna cope, someone threatens Bogo and we learn more about how Sandra died. Please review and c ya next soon!)


	25. Shout

** Chapter 25- Shout **

Jack was anxious as he looked at the time on his smart phone for third time in a minute, 9.36 pm. "They're late." He complained. He was in black combat fatigues, with his trusty pistol strapped to his side.

"They're vigilantes; they play by their own rules." Skye shrugged off. The two MCB agents stood on the roof of a rundown office building looking over the fenced off Sherwood Haulage yard.

"Indeed we do." a voice crooned behind them. The two agents spun round to see Robin in his 'Hood' uniform.

"Where's Marian?" Skye asked the obvious.

"She's just doing a quick scout of the perimeter; she'll be here in a sec." Robin explained, pulling his hood down.

"I already did that, the best route is over the fence near the storage shed." Jack stated, pointing to where he was going to enter the yard.

"Hate to break it to you, but we spotted a CCTV camera pointing straight at the shed, you'll be seen right away." Robin corrected.

"So…" Skye tried to branch a difficult subject, "Have you heard from Nick?"

"Yes," Robin replied, looking down at his feet, "Victoria passed away just before midday."

"That poor vixen," Skye sympathised, "how's Luna?"

"Devastated," Robin answered simply.

"No wonder, it must be hell for her." Jack said, knowing from experience how it felt to lose loved ones.

"How did…never mind." Robin went to ask, but halted his words.

"How did I cope when I lost my family?" Jack assumed Robin's question.

"Yeah…" Robin confirmed, feeling like a jerk.

"Well truth be told, I didn't. As soon as I was discharged from the hospital, I was sent to my asshole of an uncle. I just put what happened to the back of my mind and avoided coming home like the plague." Jack regretted, looking at the haulage yard where his home once stood.

"Skippy, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Robin apologized with heart.

"It's ok, and don't worry, Luna will be ok; she has Nick and Judy, her grandparents, and everyone else looking out for her. It will hurt for a while, but she'll be ok in the end." Jack said with a sure tone.

"Your mother would be proud of you, Skippy." another voice chimed in.

The trio turned to see Marian walking towards them, but this certain image of her made Skye mutter, "Whoa." and made Jack's jaw drop. Marian was in her mission gear that consisted of a small black leather jacket, only barely covering the figure hugging black and white sneaking suit that showed off every captivating curve and toned muscles, topped off with her purple veil covering her muzzle and her two batons hanging from the loops on her belt. From the way she looked, no one would guess she was knocking on fifty years old.

"What?" Marian asked both Jack and Skye with an arched eyebrow.

"That's your gear?" Skye asked, wishing she would look that good when she hit Marian's age.

"Well, yeah, it's the same thing I wore when I was teenager." Marian replied, before noticing her godson's dropped jaw. She strolled over to him and put a finger under his jaw and gently closed it, "Skippy, I'm flattered, but you're a taken bunny and I'm a married woman." she teased.

"I-I didn't, I mean, it was just…" Jack stammered, all flustered.

"Tsk tsk, Skippy." Robin said with mock disappointment.

"I was just surprised, is all," Jack justified.

"Didn't you tell me your first crush was Marian? And ever since, you've had a thing for vixens?" Skye gave a sly, vulpine grin.

"Skye?!" Jack squeaked.

"Oh, don't get so worked up, Jack," Marian laughed "it isn't like you didn't know Nick had a crush on your sister…or your Mom."

"Nick liked my Mom?!" Jack gasped.

"As funny as it is to see Skippy squirm, we do have a mission to get on with.” Robin diverted the conversation.

“Right,” Skye agreed, sounding serious all of a sudden, "Robin and I will be keeping a lookout for any hazards along the way."

"And I'll provide sniper support, if necessary." Robin added, holding up his bow.

"The best way in is under the fence by the pile of spare tires on the east side of the yard." Marian said, pointing out her route. "No guards, no cameras and no fuss, I've already dug the hole."

"What's the game plan?" Robin queried.

"We know that this haulage firm specialises in transporting food in temperature controlled trucks, but we've noticed some trucks without refrigeration systems and way too many guards protecting them, so, we need you to break into one and see what they're transporting." Skye ran through the plan.

"Can I suggest something?" Marian spoke up.

"Go ahead." Skye allowed.

"I should take point on this mission. If I get spotted, the Underworld trio will chalk it up to the M.M. gang, but if Jack gets spotted, the MCB operation could be compromised." Marian persuaded.

"Hmmm, good point, Ok, Maid, you take point." Skye agreed.

"Oo-di-lally." Marian said with a grin, it felt great to be in the field.

"Oo-di-lally." Robin echoed, delivering a good luck kiss to his wife's cheek.

Five minutes later Marian and Jack were in position at the east side of the fence. Jack spoke into the mic on his collar, "Commencing Operation Trucker now."

" _Affirmative Jack, good luck,_ " Skye's voice buzzed in his earpiece. Jack went to crawl into the shallow hole under the fence, but was stopped by Marian's paw on his shoulder.

"Hold on a sec." Marian whispered, looking directly up.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked in an equally quiet voice.

Marian pointed to the night sky and the full Moon illuminating the whole city, "Just wait a few minutes until that cloud covers the Moon." she instructed.

"Are you serious?" Jack asked, sounding frustrated.

"Yes, I am. Believe me, you can avoid surveillance cameras and security lights all you want, but you can't escape the Moon." Marian insisted.

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience." Jack noticed.

"Robbed a gangster's warehouse in Hackney back in 1983, some arsehole spots me scaling a wall and nearly shoots my tail off." Marian remembered with a wistful look in her navy eyes.

"This is weird." Jack commented with a shake of his head.

"Hmm?" Marian sounded.

"I still can't believe that you're part of the M.M. gang. I mean, you're my godmother, you work at a school, you volunteer at the community centre…I just never pictured you as a master thief." Jack voiced his feelings.

"Please, don't call me that." Marian grunted.

"Why? Don't you steal from other mammals?" Jack made his case.

"True, but a master thief would steal for personal gain; I do it to help the less fortunate." Marian parried, "Do you know how I got the name Maid?"

"I dunno', a derivative of Maiden?" Jack guessed.

"My parents worked as servants for a wealthy lion family back in Cheshire, England, my Mum was a cook and my old man was a chauffeur. When I was six, we were driving home from the cinema when another car crashed into ours, both of my parents were killed, and I survived, a penniless orphan fox kit." Marian told the enthralled Jack.

"You lost your parents at six, just like Luna." Jack realised.

"Yes, history has repeated itself," Marian sighed, "anyway, the Lion my parents worked for was a very kind and gentle soul; his name was Richard. He adopted me against the wishes of his family, sent me to the best schools, taught me how to fight and would be there for me, my dear Uncle Richard."

"What happened to him?" Jack had to ask.

"Uncle Richard was a very rich Earl, and his younger brother John was always trying to wrestle power from him, That coward used to bully me to no end; he always called me 'The Maid' because I was the daughter of servants" Marian explained, sounding resentful. "So, when my Uncle Richard died in suspicious circumstances, and John became Earl, he shipped me off to the boarding school where I met Robin. Little did John know, I was investigating him the whole time, but I needed one key bit of evidence to bring him down; his bank records. So, I decided to raid his office, but I felt I needed a persona, so I chose the name he gave me, 'The Maid'."

"But, why?" Jack wondered.

"Easy, because a Maid cleans up filth, and that's what I was going to do." Marian smirked as the cloud finally covered the Moon, "Showtime." Marian, quick as flash scurried, through the shallow hole and immediately sped around the wall of tires with Jack following closely behind. Marian peeked around the corner to see a lorry being loaded by two antelope workers and guarded by a quartet of henchmen; a pig, a hippo, a caracal and a jackal and, from the bulges in their jackets, Marian could tell they were all concealing handguns. Marian then spoke into her comm, "Skye, Hood; I've got eyes on four heavies and two civilians, do you see them?"

" _Copy that Maid, eyes on hostiles._ " Skye's voice came through into the small earpiece.

"Hood, I need you to put a tranq arrow in the hippo, it'll take me too long to subdue him, but I can take care of the others." Marian relayed her strategy, with Jack thinking it was crazy for her to take on three henchmen single handily.

" _Of course, my love, on your signal,_ " Robin answered through the radio.

Marian slipped out her two batons off of her belt before saying to Jack "Stay back and only intervene if I'm in danger."

"Marian, this is nuts, let me help." Jack pressured.

"Oh, Skippy, you're about to witness a lesson in kicking arse." Marian gave a smug smile before dashing from behind the tire wall and towards the henchmen. A tranq arrow whistled over her head and met the chest of the hippo and, before the large mammal hit the ground, Marian leapt at the pig and slammed her knee into its jaw, causing a streak of blood and a few teeth to exit the hog's mouth, then delivered a second, knockout inducing, blow with her left baton to the back of his skull.

"What the?!" The jackal exclaimed with alarm. The two antelope civilian workers loading the truck panicked and fled, while the caracal reached for his gun.

"Not so fast." Marian flashed a smile before twirling a baton in her paw and swatting hard on the floppy eared feline's paw, breaking a few bones, before forcing the butt of the same baton into the nose of the caracal with a crunch of bone and cartilage, putting the cat into unconsciousness.

Marian then shot her foot across the jackal's face, stunning the bigger canine, but the vixen's assault wasn't over, as she delivered a flurry of baton impacts to the jackal's abdomen before finishing him off with a head butt. As the Jackal hit the ground, Marian turned to see a flabbergasted Jack, "Ta-da!" she quietly celebrated.

"Holy crap," Jack uttered, looking at the three easily dispatched unconscious guards with amazement.

"Skippy, focus, we still have a job to do." Marian instilled, trotting over to the truck's open back doors.

Jack hopped up into the back of the truck while Marian stood guard outside. Jack looked at the stacks of cardboard boxes in the truck and randomly picked one to open. He produced a small combat knife and cut through the tape seal, then he opened the box and let out a "Huh?"; it was packs of candy in the box. Jack got out a pack and looked at it; there was a cartoon T Rex standing beside a volcano on the bag with the words 'Lava Rocks'. Jack knew this had to a ploy and ripped open the bag of candy to find bright pink Morrigan pills in the bags, "Bingo." Jack smiled with satisfaction.

" _Jack, report."_  Skye's voice came through the comm.

"The trucks are transporting Morrigan, there are thousands of pills ready to ship here." Jack informed.

" _Damn it, we can't let those pills get out to the public…Maid, can you 'dispose' of the truck?"_ Skye asked with an uneasy voice.

"But, of course dear, just give me two ticks." Marian assured with glee. Jack was exiting the truck's storage compartment as Marian produced a brick of C4 from some unknown pocket in her jacket.

"Is that what I think it is?" Jack panicked, as Marian stuck the plastic explosive to the fuel tank.

"It is indeed, now be a star and help me drag these henchmen to a safe distance." Marian bantered, grabbing the jackal's legs and pulling him toward the tire wall.

Five minutes later two figures were seen fleeing from Sherwood Haulage yard as a truck exploded and was engulfed in flames that illuminated the entire district to the latest battle of the drug war.

000

It was just before eight a.m. when Mason Bogo and Benjamin Clawhauser walked into the Precinct 1 building. The day before, the couple had been nervously chatting about the implications of meeting Noah Clawhauser, Benjamin's dad, but now their minds were stuck on something a lot darker; the bunny lying dead in the morgue in the basement of the precinct building. "Have you spoken to Hopps yet?" Bogo stressed.

"No, I tried last night, but…Luna's mom died yesterday. Nick and Judy are focused on taking care of that sweet girl at the moment." Clawhauser answered.

"Damn it," Bogo cursed "I have a bad feeling about this case."

"You're not the only one." Clawhauser admitted.

"Listen, as soon as roll call is over, I'll head down to the morgue to see what Dr. Dawson has found out." Bogo assured.

Roll call went as normal; Bogo handed out the assignments for the officers and said that priority number one was to shut down any Morrigan dealers operating in the precinct's jurisdiction. Bogo then composed himself and made his way downstairs to the basement, and used his key card to enter the morgue and was hit with the sickening smell of formaldehyde as he walked to one of the metallic autopsy tables with a small body covered by a white sheet. "Good morning, Chief." A sombre voice greeted.

Bogo looked to the right to see Dr David Dawson in the paws of a red panda junior mortician making his way to the table, "Doctors." Bogo nodded "Thank you for coming in and working on your day off yesterday."

"I can see the need to get to the bottom of this case as soon as possible." David understood, the mouse hopping off the red panda's paws and onto the autopsy table.

"Does she really look like Hopps?" Bogo asked with apprehension.

"I'm afraid so, are you sure you want to see her?" David wanted to be sure.

"I don't want to, but this mammal deserves justice, remove the sheet." Bogo grimaced.

The red panda complied with a nod and removed the sheet covering the body, the grey rabbit's clothes had been removed and a thick post mortem scar was covering her abdomen, the eyelids had been closed, the swollen greying tongue was still protruding from the doe's mouth and half of her left ear was still hanging off. "Hellfire." Bogo breathed, the bunny looked a lot like Judy, but the tips of the ears weren't black and this bunny had a fuller figure than Judy's athletic body.

"This poor doe's name is Sandra Redfield." David posthumously introduced.

"What do we know about her?" Bogo asked, his eyes focused on the torn ear.

"Twenty two years old, born and bred in the Canal district, had priors for solicitation, petty theft and curb crawling." David recalled.

"She was a prostitute?" Bogo asked, still feeling uneasy.

"Officially, she's employed as a stripper, but has two arrests for prostitution from last year." David informed.

"You think a client killed her?" Bogo threw in.

"In my opinion; no," David replied "If her injuries are anything to go by."

"How do you mean?" Bogo asked, sounding intrigued.

"Well, it's a sad thing to say but, I've seen more than my fair share of murdered prostitutes, both female and male and, well, they've always showed signs of sexual assault, this rabbit has no indicators that she was raped." David explained grimly.

"How do you know this?" Bogo had to question.

"For one, her underwear was intact and secondly, her nether regions showed no signs of 'Activity'." David continued his report, "This rabbit had her wrists bound, as evident from the marks on her wrists, and she tried to break free, but failed. There are multiple lacerations all over her body, likely caused by a small knife, The slashing like cuts show us that these were meant to inflict pain, not kill her."

"She was tortured." Bogo realised, feeling sick to his stomach.

"Sadly, yes, and it gets worse." David confirmed and warned "The amount of scabbing on her torn ear indicates that this injury was sustained about three hours before she died, and by jaggedness of the injury, we can tell this was not done by a knife, but ripped by paw. The injury that killed her though, was strangulation, her trachea was crushed."

"Strangled…" Bogo mumbled, the coincidence that Judy nearly died from being strangled a few nights before was spooky, but he quickly regained his senses and asked, "Is that why her tongue is like that?"

"No, her swollen tongue is a result of her body being submerged in water for at least twenty four hours. My best bet is that her killer dumped her body in the sewers and the current made her exit through the storm drain in downtown." David theorised

"So, she could've been killed anywhere in the city? Damn it." Bogo grunted, but pressed on "Clawhauser and Priderock say she was dressed up in a cop costume and had a fake badge with Hopps' name on it, is that true?"

"Yes, Basil is analysing it in the CSI lab." David said, before signalling the junior mortician to put the sheet back over Sandra's body.

"Do we have any next kin of details?" Bogo followed up.

"Yes, I'll send them up to your office." David answered.

"Actually, you need to email them to me." a commanding voice said from the doorway.

Bogo, David and the junior mortician directed their eyes to the door to see Commissioner Bagheera striding into the morgue, "Commissioner? What are you doing here?" Bogo asked with a confused look on his face.

"My job," Bagheera stated "this case and body will be moved to Precinct 33 in the Meadowlands."

"What? But, why?" David asked, aghast.

"If you must know, we believe this murder is connected to the similar killings of prostitutes in the last week. I've read the case file and it matches up." Bagherra explained quickly.

"But, downtown is Precinct 1's jurisdiction, this poor mammal's body was found on Gresty Road." Bogo butted in.

"Are you questioning my authority, Mason?" Bagheera asked in a quiet, yet intimidating, manner.

Bogo felt a little nervous, but parried with, "With all due respect sir, this victim was dressed like one of my officers, she even had a fake badge with my officer's name on it, I believe this is a threat on Judy Hopps' life."

"Believe what you will but, the fact remains, that this is now part of an ongoing investigation at Precinct 33." Bagheera enforced.

"But, sir, the life of one my own may be in danger!" Bogo protested.

"Which is another reason this case is being taken off your hands, you're too attached to it. We need pragmatic minds working on this case, not emotional ones." Bagheera shot down.

"But, at least, let's bring Hopps in so we can inform her of the possible danger." Bogo pleaded.

"No need, Precinct 33 will take care of it." Bagheera waved off.

"I think it would be best coming from me." Bogo insisted, feeling protective of his officer and, more importantly, his friend.

"Enough!" Bagheera blasted, causing both Bogo and David to jump slightly, "Let me make this clear Mason, you are to handover all evidence in this case, you will not interfere with an ongoing mammalcide case and you will not tell Officer Hopps of this. That bunny there is just another dead whore like the others back in the Meadowlands; don't insinuate your own crazy theories onto the case."

Bogo felt rage building in his gut, but kept his tone calm as he pointed at the body on the table and said "That bunny has a name; it's Sandra Redfield and I think she was killed because she looks like one of my officers, she deserves justice and Hopps deserves our protection."

Bagheera let out a disappointed sigh before saying to David and the Red Panda, "Leave us." which they did quite sharply. When the two doctors shut their office door, Bagheera continued "Mason, I must insist you drop this."

"And I must insist you let me work on this." Bogo responded through gritted teeth.

"Look Mason, I'm not going to be commissioner forever, you're the favourite to replace me once I retire, so just take this as a lesson in diplomacy, let Precinct 33 handle this." Bagherra said in a friendlier tone.

"If there is the slightest chance one of my officers might be in danger, it's my duty to protect her." Bogo responded, folding his muscled arms across his chest.

"You recently came out as gay, didn't you? And an inter to boot, very brave." Bagheera said out of nowhere.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Bogo snapped.

"What's your boyfriend's name again, oh yes, Clawhauser. That tub of lard cheetah." Bagheera said with smarm.

Bogo’s look was a mix of shock and fury at this insult about the man he loved, "How dare you!" Bogo seethed.

"You know, I think it's time for a fitness test for Officer Clawhauser but, saying that, I doubt he would pass it, then we'd have to let him go." Bagheera played.

Bogo's face dropped at the threat, "You wouldn't." Bogo gasped.

"It would be such a shame, I hear he's a really nice chap, but maybe if his boyfriend wasn't such a pushy bastard, just maybe he could keep his job." Bagheera threatened, smiling at the petrified look on Bogo's face, "Do we understand each other, Mason?"

"…Yes." Bogo answered, looking down at the ground.

"Good man, the officers from Precinct 33 will be here soon to collect the body and evidence." Bagheera informed before walking out of the morgue.

Mason Bogo may have said yes to Bagheera, but that was just to keep the panther pacified. Bogo had made a vow that he would be a mammal worthy of Clawhauser's love, and there was no way he could look his love in the eye knowing that he had put their friend in danger, He was going to clue Judy in on what was happening, but he needed to figure out a way so that Bagheera wouldn't find out.

000

The day Victoria died, Luna was very reluctant to leave the penthouse, even after the funeral directors had come to collect Victoria's body and take her to the funeral home. Luna took a lot of persuading to leave the penthouse. That night, she didn't eat, no matter how much Nick and Judy encouraged her, she barely spoke, only cried, and when it came to bedtime, Nick and Judy brought her into their room and hugged the mourning child until she cried herself to sleep.

The day after, Luna didn't cry at all, it was as if all the tears had been drained from her. Nick and Judy did manage to get some breakfast into her, but the morose look never left her muzzle. They also noticed Luna didn't like to be left alone, even when she went to the bathroom; she wanted Nick or Judy to stand outside the door. And then there was the hugs, whenever she could Luna, would latch onto her dad or Judy, when Marian and Robin came around to check in, she hugged them the whole time she was there, and if no one else was available, then her plushie red dragon 'Mr Scales' would suffice.

Then, on the third day, it was the funeral. This was the worst day imaginable. At first, Luna refused to go, she shouted at Nick to leave her alone, so it took both Judy and Grace to convince her to get dressed into her black dress and go to the crematorium. Not a lot of mammals attended the funeral. Victoria, after all, had made a lot of enemies and few friends, and no real family apart from Luna.But the kit didn't care about that, she just wanted her mom and nothing was going to satisfy that want. At the wake, Luna kept a close eye on her mother's urn, struggling to comprehend that her mother's body was now the ashes in that jar. That night, Luna forced herself to sleep in her bed, despite offers from Nick and Judy to let her sleep in their bed, but that only lasted for a few hours. With 'Mr Scales' in paw, she crept into Nick and Judy's room and slipped into the bed, Nick woke briefly and was not surprised to see his baby girl, he just kissed her on the head and held her close.

The fourth day, Nick had to go out to get groceries and asked Luna if she wanted to come with, but she shook her head and said she just wanted to stay home and watch cartoons, to which he complied. Judy sat on the sofa for a while with her step daughter, the kit's head resting on Judy's lap, as the bunny gently stroked the kit's cheek to comfort her. Later that day, Basil brought Olivia over to play, the little mouse tried her best to make her friend play games and be happy, but all Luna wanted to do was watch cartoons, so Olivia just sat in her friend's paw and watched the toons, all the while Olivia was hugging one of Luna's fingers.

And then, on the fifth day…

"Huh?" Judy sounded, looking at her phone screen as her, Nick and Luna sat the table eating breakfast.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked, munching on some toast slathered with blueberry jam.

"It's the Chief, he says he needs me to meet him at his house, apparently, it's important." Judy relayed, setting her phone down.

"That's weird." Nick commented.

"Yeah," Judy replied, finishing her coffee and getting up from the table, "he says I should head over ASAP, so I'm going to go now."

"You want to borrow my car?" Nick asked, looking at his girlfriend as she grabbed her wallet and keys out of the little bowl by the door

"Nah, I'll take the subway, traffic in upper Savannah Central is crazy at this time of the morning." Judy replied. All of a sudden she felt a set of arms around her waist and saw a worried Luna looking up at her.

"Do you have to go?" Luna asked with a sheepish voice.

Judy hugged the kit back and soothed, "Don't worry I'll be back later, besides, I need someone to keep an eye on your dad so he doesn't get into any mischief."

"Ok." Luna huffed with disappointment.

"I'll be back soon, sweetie." Judy promised before kissing Luna on the cheek. She exited the apartment and Luna went back to her breakfast.

Nick looked at his depressed daughter and could sort of relate. When he was seven, he thought his dad had died, that's when an idea struck him, "Hey kiddo, finish up your breakfast, I need to show you something." he said in a kind voice.

Half an hour later, Nick and Luna were driving through Sherwood with Luna looking uninterested in everything; she was more concerned with fiddling with the buttons on her coat. It took Nick saying, "We're here." to make her realise the car had stopped.

The car was parked next to a derelict warehouse that looked like it hadn't been occupied in decades. Nick got out the car and Luna followed suit. "What is this place?" Luna asked, standing beside her dad.

"I used to come here to think when I was a kid." Nick said, guiding his daughter through the door to the well illuminated, but trashed, warehouse. "When I was younger I used to get angry and sad a lot, but this place helped me relax."

"How?" Luna asked, sounding curious.

"Like this," Nick said before taking a deep breath and bellowing at the top of his lungs, "I COULD SHOUT VERY LOUDLY IN HERE!"

Luna flinched a little before saying, "How does that help?"

"Easy, being sad, angry or worried about something feels real crummy, and holding onto it hurts, doesn't it?" Nick asked, kneeling down to look his daughter in the eye.

"Uh huh," Luna replied sadly.

"So, I used to shout what was bothering me in here. It didn't get rid of my problems, but it made me feel a little better." Nick explained, "Why don't you give it a shot?"

"Me?" Luna mumbled, pointing at herself.

"Can't hurt to try kiddo, just shout whatever you like." Nick offered.

"I, uh, miss my old home." Luna said awkwardly.

"Ok, good, but try saying it louder." Nick encouraged.

"I'm sick of people asking me if I'm ok!" Luna declared loudly.

"That's it." Nick smiled.

"I HATE THAT I CAN'T STOP HUGGING EVERYONE, I FEEL LIKE A DUMB BABY!" Luna shouted.

Nick nodded letting his daughter give a voice to her emotions.

"I WANT TO PLAY MY VIOLIN BUT I CAN'T AND I DON'T KNOW WHY!" Luna wailed.

Nick's eyes were getting watery as the kit continued to shout.

"I HATE MOMMY! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE?! I'M JEALOUS OF EVERYONE; OLIVIA'S GOT HER DADDIES, YOU GOT YOUR MOM AND DAD, JUDY'S FAMILY IS HUGE BUT MOMMY LEFT ME, SHE'S A BIG JERK!" Luna roared, tears streaming down her face.

Nick then opened his arms and Luna immediately threw herself into a hug, crying into her father's shoulder, "Luna your Mother didn't want to leave you, she loved you more than anything else in this world, you know that right?" Nick eased.

"Yeah…" Luna sniffed "But, I'm still mad at her."

"I know, but I bet you love her more than hate her. Just remember that your Mom will always be with you, she's always looking out for you, and never ever forget that she loves you." Nick said with sincerity.

Luna broke from the hug and wiped away her tears on the sleeve of her coat. "Thanks Dad, I love you." she smiled.

"I love you, too, Luna." Nick replied, his heart warming at the fact that this was the first time he had seen her smile since her mom died.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ So what did you guys think? Please Please please review! Next time on Take A Stand, Bogo goes against orders, Bellwether gets a warning and the Wildes head to Bunny Burrow. Please review and c ya soon)


	26. Fire and Ice

** Chapter 26- Fire and Ice **

Mason Bogo sat at the kitchen table in his home, drinking coffee and anxiously waiting for Judy to arrive; he wasn't due at work until 1pm and knew Hopps would heed his words about coming to his home as soon as possible. He was taking a risk, and he knew it. He didn't know if he was being monitored. If Bagheera questioned him on Judy's presence at his residence, he would lie and say he wanted a progress report on her injured arm. There was also the possibility that, if Bagheera was as dirty as he suspected, his home could have been bugged with audio devices, but Bogo had anticipated this, he only hoped that his plan worked. A knock at the front door had brought Bogo out of his worries, the Cape Buffalo got up and walked to the front door and opened it to see Judy looking up at him. "Hopps," Bogo greeted in his default gruff tone.

"Mornin' Chief, I got your text." Judy replied, her voice sounding a little worried.

"I can see that, please, come in." Bogo said, stepping aside so the bunny could enter his home.

Bogo closed the door and Judy piped up "I was kinda' worried when you messaged me, is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine, Hopps," Bogo lied, leading Judy into the kitchen where a cafetiere of fresh coffee was waiting for them, "I just need a progress report on your injured arm."

"Oh, is that all?" Judy said with a slight laugh "You had me worried for a moment there."

"No need to worry." Bogo fibbed, grabbing a piece of paper off the table and holding it clear for Judy to see;  **SPEAK NORMALLY, HOME MAY BE BUGGED.**

Judy saw this and her amethyst eyes went wide with concern and wonder, but she did as instructed and said casually, "Well, my arm still hurts a little, that leopard didn't pull any punches." motioning to her cast.

"Well, you still have two weeks left of sick leave, I suggest you enjoy them." Bogo spoke as naturally as possible, while holding up another piece of paper;  **I BELIEVE COM.M.ISONER BAGHEERA IS CORRUPT; HE THREATENED BENJAMIN'S CAREER OVER A MURDER CASE**

Judy had to stop herself from gasping, she processed this info as she added "Well, enjoyment is at the bottom of my list at the moment. Luna just lost her Mom and she really needs Nick and I at the moment." Bogo then slid over a notepad and pen over to Judy so she could communicate back.

 **I AM BEING WATCHED CLOSELY AT THE PRECINCT, I NEED YOU TO GET SOME INTEL TO DISTRICT DIRECTOR WINTER, SHE CAN HELP.** Bogo held up his third pre written message before saying, "I can't even imagine what that child is going through, she seems like such a sweet girl too."

Judy scribbled a note hastily and held it up for Bogo to see;  **ARE YOU AND CLAWHAUSER IN DANGER? WHAT MURDER CASE?** "Luna will be ok; Nick and I will make sure she's loved." Judy said calmly, but her face was the exact opposite.

Bogo picked up a pen that was lying on the table and wrote a message back while saying, "Oh, I didn't mention, I met Benjamin's father a couple of nights ago." Bogo then held up his quickly scrawled note;  **I DON'T THINK WE'RE IN DANGER; BAGHEERA ONLY THREATENED BEN'S CAREER. MURDER VICTIM IS SANDRA REDFIELD, HE'S TRYING TO COVER IT UP**

"How did it go?" Judy asked in a friendly tone whilst Judy wrote the obvious response and held it up;  **WHY?**

"He was really friendly, he's a lot skinnier than Benjamin though, and they don't really look alike. He took the two of us out to a fancy restaurant in the Rainforest District." Bogo answered the verbal question while showing the answer to the written one;  **THE VICTIM WAS A BUNNY THAT LOOKED LIKE AND WAS DRESSED UP LIKE YOU, THE VICTIM WAS FOUND WITH A BADGE SAYING 'OFFICER HOPPS'**

Judy's ears went droopy instantaneously as she unintentionally squeaked, "Were you nervous?" and showing her next message that bluntly stated;  **WTF?!**

"Well, there was one part of the evening when Benjamin went to bathroom and it was just Noah and I, alone. I told him that I loved his son. He smiled at me before saying, 'That's good, but if you ever hurt my boy again, I'll introduce you to the shotgun I keep under my bed.' Suffice it to say, he wasn't pleased with my past behaviour." Bogo answered truthfully, (That is really what Noah said) then presented Judy with the next part of the written conversation;  **BAGHEERA CAME INTO THE MORGUE AND TOOK THE BODY AND CASE AWAY FROM ME AND GAVE IT TO PRECINCT 33, WHEN I SAID WE SHOULD WARN YOU, HE THREATENED TO FIRE BENJAMIN, I THINK SOMEONE WANTS YOU DEAD.**

Judy felt nauseous with guilt; some unfortunate doe that just happened to look like her had been murdered just because of a physical similarity. Judy's mind instantly jumped to Bellwether, that ewe was the only mammal in the city that hated her that much and had the deranged drive to do something so horrific. This was the domestic terrorist behind the Night Howler incident so, of course, she was capable of committing such a heinous act. "That seems a little harsh." Judy faked a laugh before writing quickly;  **I KNOW WHO WANTS ME DEAD, DON'T WORRY THE MCB ARE ALREADY ON THE CASE**

Bogo looked shocked at this revelation, he was scribbling his response as he said, "Well, I'm not surprised by Noah's words, I treated Benjamin terribly. He doesn't want his son's heart getting broken again." He then showed Judy his message;  **HOW DO THE MCB KNOW ABOUT THIS? WHO IS TRYING TO KILL YOU?**

"I don't think Noah has anything to worry about, you're a changed mammal, everyone can see you love Benjamin." Judy responded with a reassuring smile before revealing on the notepad;  **IT'S SAFER THAT YOU DON'T KNOW, PLEASE TRUST ME, MASON, AND GIVE ME THE INTEL**

Mason considered challenging his officer for a second, but then he took a closer look at Judy's face, she was being honest with him and, if the MCB were already trying to stop this corruption, he knew this would all come to a head soon. He trusted his gut and tossed over a USB stick to Judy, which she caught with her good paw. "Thanks, Judy." Bogo gave a knowing smile.

"Anytime, Mason." Judy replied with a determined look in her eyes.

000

Dawn Bellwether was starting to enjoy her new accommodation, but then, anything was a step up from the dingy little cell she had back in prison. Madame Misdadd's guest house was even more plush than the house she owned when she was mayor, this had its own gym, a Jacuzzi and easy access to the pool. Dawn was in the living room of the guest house, looking at herself in the mirror, getting ready for another 'Guest' from Misdadd's brothel that she had ordered herself. She wanted to look her best, even when she was ending an innocent mammal's life. But just as Bellwether was applying her mascara, the front door burst open to reveal an irate looking Misdadd with Rattigan on her shoulder, both wearing a stern expression. "Good Morning." Dawn acknowledged, still putting on her makeup.

"Dawn, we need to talk." Rattigan opened diplomatically.

"What about?" Dawn asked innocently, gliding the mascara brush through her eyelashes.

"Are you kidding me? Your god damn Jack the Ripper tribute you've been performing in my home!" Misdadd barked, closing the door behind her with force.

"Oh, that? I thought you two were ok with indulging in my little pleasures." Dawn brushed off.

"We were when you were just killing whores." Rattigan said, pragmatically, leaping off Misdadd's shoulder and onto a nearby cabinet.

"I am still just killing whores." Dawn chuckled, putting her mascara back in her makeup bag.

"Yes, but you dressed one up like the most famous cop in the city, you even put a badge on her with Hopps' name!" Misdadd raged.

"Well, sorry for living out a fantasy." Dawn scoffed.

"That so called fantasy cost me every favour with the commissioner I had! He had to threaten Bogo with his boyfriend's job to make him shut up. You've gone too far this time, Dawn." Misdadd forced.

"We pay the commissioner enough to keep his trap shut anyway, so, I messed up. I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Dawn said in the least apologetic voice ever.

"Is that so? Then what about the male red fox you just ordered? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted to play out Nick Wilde's murder with one of Bahati's best men." Rattigan called on the lie.

"Son of a bitch," Dawn said under her breath.

"You put a god damn target on us when you killed that bunny, and now, you want to do the same with some fox?! You may as well put a neon sign above our heads that says, ‘GUILTY!’ Enough is enough, Dawn." Misadadd dictated.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, on the defensive.

"Your, how should I say this, hobby, has to stop until the election is over." Rattigan lay down the law.

"What? No, after all I've done for us?!" Dawn gave a very un-prey like snarl.

"Your contribution is priceless, but your need for blood and your want for Officer Hopps' demise is too risky, just let it go." Misdadd enforced.

"But…" Dawn started to protest.

"As soon as Moon or Bastille are elected, we'll have them in our pocket, but for now everything is in flux, we could lose everything with one wrong move, do we understand each other?" Misdadd continued.

"But I need to make Hopps suffer, she destroyed me!" Dawn spat.

"You destroyed yourself, my dear." Rattigan pointed out.

"Wait, please, just let me scare her!" Dawn pleaded.

"What?" Rattigan half laughed.

"Look, you won't let me kill Judy, that's fine. Killing her would be quick, but fear lasts longer, fear always works." Dawn insisted, echoing the words she said to Judy nearly 18 months before.

"What do you propose? What would pacify you?" Misdadd queried, wary of the sheep's words.

"I need just five minutes with her, to put fear in her mind. That would be the most exquisite torture. You can have your best enforcers watch me, I won't harm Hopps in any way, and I’ll only use my words. If you do that for me, I'll stop." Dawn propositioned.

"You give your word?" Rattigan asked, warily.

"I promise." Dawn replied.

"Very well, fear it is." Misdadd agreed, while a smile grew on Dawn's face as she imagined tormenting Judy…and Luna.

000

As soon as Judy left Bogo's home, she had called Marian and Skye, insisting that everyone should meet. Marian volunteered her house on Oakland Avenue in Sherwood and within thirty minutes, everyone who needed to be at the address was there, the last to arrive were Nick and Luna, who had just been two blocks away shouting away their troubles. Nick used his spare key to enter the home and the pair came in to find Robin Loxley dressed in jeans and a dark green hoodie, the middle aged fox saw his granddaughter and grinned, "Hey, stinky."

"Hi fossil," Luna smirked back.

"Whippersnapper," Robin smiled.

"Booger eater," Luna played along.

"Fart bomber," Robin childishly countered.

"Poo head," Luna deflected with a grin.

"Ok, enough, you two, you're as bad as each other." Nick said, calming the two down.

"Well, now, who is this little angel?" a loud voice asked. The three looked up to see Little John smiling down at the fox kit.

Luna's amber eyes shone brightly, she’d always been fascinated with mammals bigger than herself, and now a grizzly bear was in front of her, "Wow, mister, you're tall." Luna gawped.

"I sure am, angel, I'm Little John, nice to meetcha'." Little John chuckled, before extending a paw to the child for a handshake. Luna barely managed to wrap one of her paws around Little John's digits, but shook it politely.

"I'm Luna." the fox kit replied.

"Ah, the famous kid who took out the Hood with a frying pan." Little John chortled.

"She snuck up on me." Robin defended.

"Aw, poor Rob, all bitter because he was bested by a six year old." Little John gave a verbal dig.

Jack emerged from the kitchen wearing a serious expression; he was dressed in his trademark black suit, black tie, white shirt combo, "Good, you're here." the Buck said.

"What's going on?" Nick asked, his voice a tad concerned, "Judy said it was urgent."

Jack was about to answer, then realised this conversation might be a little too adult for Luna's ears, so he suggested, "Hey Luna, did you know that Little John gives the best piggy back rides ever?"

Little John saw Jack's strategy and winked in acknowledgement at the bunny.

Five minutes later, as Little John continued to play with Luna, in the living room Judy had just finished explaining everything. "So, that's it, the head of the ZPD is dancing to the Trio's tune." Judy finished.

Nick took hold of Judy's paw and said, "It's going to be ok, Carrots."

"That sick sheep, she's totally off her rocker." Robin griped, his mind clearly on the departed Miss Redfield.

Skye looked over at Marian, who was at the kitchen table typing away at her laptop, searching through the contents of the USB stick Bogo had given Judy, "Anything useful on that drive?" Skye enquired.

"Somewhat, Bogo's compiled all the stuff he can on Commissioner Bagheera, medical files, a layout of his home…oh, this is interesting." Marian mused.

"What?" Jack asked, looking over Marian's shoulder.

"He's been investigated by Internal Affairs three times during his career, and in all three cases, evidence went missing and witnesses refused to testify." Marian revealed.

"So Bagheera's been rotten way before Buttercup came on the scene." Skye figured.

"This is bad. If we can't trust anyone in the ZPD, how are we ever going to bring down the Underworld Trio?" Nick fretted. "And, now, we have to worry about Judy's safety as well."

"I can handle Bellwether," Judy insisted "and I'm going to make her pay for what she did to that bunny."

"My god, you lot are a right bunch of downers," Robin said out of nowhere, "am I the only one who sees an opportunity here?"

"Huh?" Jack sounded.

"We need to interrogate Bagheera, get him to spill on his connections with the trio, then maybe we can find a weakness we can exploit." Robin proposed.

"If the MCB takes in the Commissioner for questioning, they'll know we're onto them." Jack pointed out.

"Then let the M.M. gang question him in our own special way." Robin gave a sly smile.

"No." Skye said bluntly, "Need I remind you that you are assisting the MCB and must comply with our rules, that means no torturing mammals for info."

"We won't need to; I can scare it out of him without laying a paw on the panther." Robin replied, sounding confident.

"How?" Marian asked, wondering what her husband had planned for the crooked cat.

"Remember that heist in Liverpool where I 'persuaded' that Chinchilla to give us the safe combination?" Robin reminded.

Marian instantly grinned "Oh, Mr Loxley, you are naughty."

"What? What happened in Liverpool?" Skye asked, confused by the couple's matching smiles.

"We'll go over the plan at your base, but trust me, you're going to love it." Robin promised.

"But we still have a big problem; Bellwether targeting Judy." Jack spoke up.

"I said I can handle her." Judy replied, crossing her arms defensively.

"It wouldn't hurt for you to get out of the city for a few days." Skye added.

"I'm fine where I am." Judy stated.

"Didn't you mention that your sister wanted us to come to Bunny Burrow?" Marian asked, wanting the doe to get as far away from Bellwether as possible.

Judy wasn't expecting this and babbled, "W-well, we can't right now, Luna needs stability."

"But, I want to go to Bunny Burrow." A little voice responded.

Everyone turned to the kitchen doorway to see Luna and an out of breath John coming behind her, "Sorry, this kid is fast." Little John panted.

"Sweetie how long have you been standing there?" Judy asked with trepidation.

"Huh? Just now," Luna replied, puzzled by the odd question and the relieved faces of the grownups "Anyway, I want to go to Bunny Burrow."

"But Luna it's so soon after, well, your Mom going to heaven." Judy chose her words carefully.

"I'm still sad about it," Luna confessed with a timid voice, "but Mommy wanted me to ride on a tractor for her."

Nick looked at Judy's face as she softly smiled at her step daughter, "Looks like we're heading to Bunny Burrow." he concluded.

000

Judy had phoned her big sister Heather and asked if she, Nick, Luna and Marian could come to Bunny Burrow the next day. Heather, of course, accepted and was delighted that her sister was coming home. She said she'd get the guest rooms ready at her house. Judy also had to explain Luna's loss and that the little kit was vulnerable at the moment. Heather sympathised and vowed to make the little vixen feel at home. When Luna asked why Robin wasn't coming along, the sly fox told his granddaughter he had a super secret superhero mission to take care of.

So, the next day came and Judy and the three Wildes boarded the train from Savannah Central to Bunny Burrow. The family was sitting on the upper deck of the train, with Marian and Luna playing a card game and Nick snoozing in his seat, leaving Judy alone with her thoughts. This was the only time she wasn't looking forward to going home. The fight with her mom was weighing heavily on her mind, but she was determined not to back down on this issue, She loved Nick and she wasn't going to feel ashamed about that. This cycle of thought continued until the conductor announced over the loud speaker, " **We will be arriving in Bunny Burrow in five minutes, please make sure you have all your belongings before leaving the train."**

"We're nearly there!" Luna celebrated, rushing over to her dad and shaking him awake, "Dad, wake up, we're nearly there."

"Five more minutes." Nick mumbled, his eyes still shut. He was dressed in a black shirt and khaki pants.

"Nicholas, wake up." Marian said firmly, she was wearing her favourite pink rugby style jersey and a pair of denim jeans

Nick's eyes snapped open; all those years of Marian waking him up had trained his body to respond to her voice. "Ok, ok." Nick yawned.

Judy looked at the excitable Luna and commented, "You're really excited huh?"

"Uh-huh, I've never been outside Zootopia before!" Luna answered, sounding bubbly.

"Just stick close to us, ok, we don't want to lose you in a sea of bunnies." Nick advised.

"That gives me an idea," Judy realised, before looking at Luna and saying, "Sweetie, come here for a second." Luna obeyed and stepped over to Judy, "Just hold still." Judy then proceeded to rub her cheeks across Luna's, marking her with her scent.

"Judy, that tickles." Luna giggled as Judy continued.

"You're making her?" Nick asked, a little surprised.

"Yep, it's a bunny trick to keep track of their kits. If I lose sight of Luna, I just have to sniff the air and, if any of my family smells her, they'll know she's my kit." Judy explained, still rubbing her cheeks upon Luna's

"Hannah used to do it to Jack and the others, don't you remember?" Marian reminded her son.

"Oh, yeah." Nick remembered.

Judy finished marking Luna and pulled back to see the young vixen giving a huge smile, causing Judy to ask, "What's that grin for?"

"You called me your kit." Luna answered, her smile bigger than ever.

All three grownups realised this and froze, there was a brief silence as Judy uttered "I did…is that ok?"

Luna answered by hugging Judy and whispering, "I love you, Judy." Judy's soul filled with joy at these words, she hugged her stepdaughter back and the worries that plagued her seemed a lot less important now.

A couple of minutes later, the train pulled into Bunny Burrow station. Judy and the Wildes were waiting at the door and could already see a crowd of at least three dozen Rabbits eagerly waiting. Judy saw Heather, front and centre, with a few of her kits around her ,and then more of her siblings, but there was the notable absence of her parents. Judy put it down to her Father preparing her Mother for the arrival of the 'Impure' inters. The train came to a standstill and the doors slid open. Judy took a deep breath and stepped out onto the platform to the cheers of her family. Heather instantly rushed to her sister and embraced her, "Welcome home,, Judy." the chocolate brown bunny said in a happy voice.

"It's good to be back." Judy replied.

"Hey, where's my hug?" a white buck rabbit asked, feigning disappointment.

"Connor!" Judy cried, leaving one hug and entering another with her brother.

While Judy greeted all her siblings, Heather strolled up to the three red foxes who stepped off the train, "Well, you must be the famous Nick Wilde I've heard so much about, nice to finally meet you." Heather welcomed, extending her paw to the slightly nervous Nick.

"And you must be Heather, thanks for having us." Nick replied, shaking Heather's paw, noticing the remarkably strong grip.

"And I've already spoken to this little cutie." Heather gushed kneeling down so she was eye level with Luna; she quickly smelt Judy's scent on the little girl which made Heather even happier.

"Hi." Luna greeted with a shy smile.

Heather then stood up and faced Marian and guessed, "And you must be Nick's sister?"

Marian let out a laugh, "Oh, Judy must've told you I love flattery; I'm Marian, Nick's mother."

Heather's jaw actually dropped as her eyes switched view between Nick and Marian as she mumbled, "You're Nick's mom?"

Nick had to laugh, it was the exact same reaction Judy had when she met Marian for the first time. "Indeed, I am," Marian confirmed "and I must thank you for hosting us, you're too kind my dear."

"And you're British too?" Heather smiled, noticing the vixen's accent, "Well, it's great to meet you, Marian." Heather then turned and hollered to Judy "Hey, Judy, you best stop hugging everyone and introduce your boyfriend's family."

"Right." Judy replied, ending a hug with one of her younger sisters and rushing back to the foxes. She then took a hold of Nick's paw and said in a loud voice, so everyone could hear, "Everyone, this is my boyfriend, Nick."

"Hey everyone, I'm the guy who kissed your sister on live TV." Nick charmed, which caused a ripple of laughter among the fluffle of rabbits and a playful elbow in the side from Judy.

Judy then motioned to Marian and announced, "This is Nick's Mom, Marian."

"It's lovely to meet you all." Marian responded, smiling at the Hopps family, although she was happy to hear a few whispers of, 'She looks so young'.

"And, last but by no means least, this is Nick's daughter; Luna." Judy introduced, putting an arm around the smiling kit.

This caused the biggest reaction from the crowd with coos and awws and squeals of, "She's so cute."

"Hello." Luna smiled and waved at the bunnies.

"Judy, you're a step mom?" Connor asked happily.

"Yeah, I am." Judy answered proudly, looking down at Luna.

Twenty minutes later, the fleet of pickup trucks (No exaggeration, there's at least forty bunnies and three foxes to transport) pulled into the driveway of Heather's homestead that was still on Hopps farmland, the main family house was half a mile south of Heather's home. Most of the bunnies took off in the direction of the main house or to do their own thing, no one wanted to stay for the emotional fireworks that would be happening shortly.

Jacob, Heather's husband, was busy showing Marian and Luna to the room they would be sharing, whilst Judy, Heather and Nick stood outside on the porch discussing the burning issue; the family meeting. "Mom and Dad are due here in ten minutes." Heather said, her worry clear on her face.

"Are they still fighting?" Judy asked, knowing the answer was most likely yes.

"They've gotten worse; apparently ,they've been sleeping in different rooms the last few nights." Heather answered with a sullen voice.

"Sweet cheese and crackers," Judy mumbled with frustration "So, what have you told them?"

"Only that you and Nick have come to talk." Heather revealed.

"Do they know about my Mom and Luna tagging along?" Nick queried.

"Nope, if Mom knew she would be facing your mother, she probably wouldn't come." Heather explained.

"So, how are we going to stop her from marching off?" Judy asked.

"Don't you worry about that, I’ve got a plan." Heather winked.

"Um, what about Luna? I don't want her to hear the inevitable shouting match, she's been through enough lately." Nick fretted.

"Don't worry, I'm getting our brother Kyle and his girlfriend to babysit her while the adults duke it out, speaking of which, where is he?" Heather asked out loud, her long ears twitching, listening out for her teenage brother, her gaze then turned to a frown as she looked at a storage shed before bellowing, "KYLE, STOP MAKING OUT WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND AND GET YOUR BUTT OUT HERE!"

Within five seconds, two very embarrassed bunnies stepped out of the storage shed twenty feet away from the porch, "Geez, Heather, did you have to shout that?" Kyle vented. He looked around seventeen, with the same colour fur as Judy. He was wearing a red t shirt and black cargo pants. He and his girlfriend started walking towards the porch.

"Aww, little Kyle's all embarrassed." Heather teased.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your girlfriend?" Judy joined in.

"Uh, Hi, I'm Krista." the teenage doe spoke politely, her fur was a darker grey and she wore a pair of very fashionable designer glasses.

"Wow, you're cute," Judy complimented "so, why the heck are you dating a scrub like Kyle for?"

"Hey!" Kyle protested before looking at Nick "So, you're Nick, huh?"

"That's me, Romeo." Nick smirked; this caused a few more chuckles from Heather and Judy.

"Anyway," Heather composed herself, "I got a job for you two lovebirds that'll keep you out of mischief."

"What kind of job?" Kyle asked dubiously.

Luna and Marian then came out the front door with Jacob onto the porch, "Ah, right on cue," Heather smiled, stepping over to Luna and placing a paw on her head, "you're going to be babysitting this little cutie."

"Wait, what?" Kyle asked instantly.

But before Heather could answer, Krista had raced over to Luna and gushed, "You are adorable!" the teenager's eyes were bright and shiny as she looked at the beautiful kit.

"Hi, I'm Luna, what's your name?" Luna replied with chirpiness.

"Krista, me and my boyfriend are going to look after you for a bit." Krista beamed, resisting the urge to wrap the young vixen in a hug.

"But…" Kyle started, but decided not to bother, he could see his girlfriend was enthralled by the kit.

"Well, that settles it." Nick gave a smug smile.

"C'mon, Kyle, don't look so down, you'll be looking after your step niece." Judy said, punching her brother in the arm.

"I already have like two hundred nieces and nephews." Kyle said with a very teenage groan.

"Yeah, and now you have one more, deal with it." Heather put her foot down.

The sound of a beep from a truck horn drew everyone's attention; the group looked to the dirt track leading to the house to see a familiar blue truck drive up and park outside the house. Nick noticed Judy tense up when she saw her mother in the passenger seat of the truck. Nick instinctively took hold of his love's paw and whispered to her, "It'll be ok, Fluff."

Judy smiled back and whispered, "Dumb fox."

Stu Hopps was the first to get out the truck, followed by his less enthusiastic spouse, "Jude the Dude, how's my favourite cop?" Stu greeted with warmth.

Judy couldn't help but run over to her dad, hug him, kiss him on the cheek, and reply, "I missed you, Dad."

"Missed you too," Stu hugged back, "I'm so glad you came."

Judy then broke from the hug and was met with the expressionless face of Bonnie Hopps. Judy's own face turned stony as she simply said, "Mom."

"Judy." Bonnie acknowledged.

There was then an awkward silence between the two for a few moments until a voice spoke up, "Wow, you two really look alike."

Bonnie and Judy looked down to see Luna staring up at them, "You have same colour fur and eyes." Luna continued.

Bonnie looked a little shocked at the fox kit's presence and stuttered, "W-Who are you?"

"I'm Luna Wilde, Mrs Hopps." Luna introduced herself with a smile, oblivious to the tension between the mother and daughter.

"Luna Wilde?" Bonnie repeated, the cogs in her head turning, she knew that Nick's last name was Wilde.

"She's my step daughter." Judy declared with pride.

"Step-What?" Bonnie gasped.

Before the situation escalated any further, Stu cut in and said to Luna, "Hey there little'un, you remember me?"

"Stu!" Luna said jovially, before hugging the pudgy rabbit.

"Well, hello to you too, little lady." Stu chuckled, hugging the child back.

"What's going here?" Bonnie demanded, her foot repeatedly thumping the ground in frustration.

"Peace talks." Heather answered simply, "We're going to my house and we're going to make peace like civilised mammals."

"The hell I am," Bonnie defied, "I'm not going to stay and indulge this…this freak show."

Judy was about to erupt with anger, but Nick said in a friendly tone, "Mrs Hopps please, we just want to talk."

"I'm sure you do, but I won't listen. Stu, we're going home." Bonnie groused.

"Now, Bonnie, Nick and his family have come a long way to talk with us," Stu tried to persuade.

"Fine, you stay, I'm going home." Bonnie spat.

"Ugh, ok, Mom, you leave me no other choice." Heather sighed, cracking her knuckles and flexing her muscles.

"What are you going to do, hit me?" Bonnie scoffed.

"No, I'm going to do this." Heather replied, before charging at Bonnie and scooping her up in a fireman's hold and resting her mom on her shoulder.

"Heather Amanda Hopps, you put me down this second!" Bonnie screeched, hammering her paws on Heather's back.

"Not going to happen." Heather responded as she walked to the house.

Judy looked to Kyle and Krista and requested with heart, "Please, look after Luna."

Kyle nodded at his big sister, "You can count on us."

"She's in good hands." Krista smiled.

Heather, with her Mom still in tow, led Judy, Stu, Nick and Marian through her home with Jacob following close behind. "Heather, let me go or you're grounded, missy!" Bonnie seethed.

"I'm 27, and own my own home, you can't ground me." Heather sniggered, leading the group into the den; a large room with a widescreen TV, bookshelves filled with novels, a pinball machine in the corner and multiple movie posters on the walls. Once everyone was inside, bar Jacob, who was standing in the doorway, Heather instructed, "Jacob lock the door, only unlock it when I text you."

"You got it." Jacob complied with his wife's wish, and he shut the door and locked it, trapping Heather, Stu, Bonnie, Judy, Nick and Marian in a room together.

"Well, this is fun." Nick said sarcastically.

"Yeah, a real hoot." Stu added.

Heather finally put her mother down and Bonnie immediately ran for the door and tried to open it, to no avail. "Didn't you hear the door lock?" Marian asked the angry lapin, "We're stuck in here until we figure out our differences."

Bonnie let go of the door knob, put one paw on her hip and motioned with the other and asked out loud in a dismissive, and icy, voice, "Who is this?"

Marian folded her arms across her chest and glared back, whilst her voice burned, "My name is Marian Wilde, I'm Nick's mother."

Nick involuntary gulped as he looked at the two grandmothers, ready to rip each other apart at the slightest provocation. Marian's fiery demeanour was matched by Bonnie's cold as ice stare. "Ok, let's calm down and get down to business." Nick tried to pacify.

"What business? I will not be making peace today!" Bonnie reacted.

"Oh, what a surprise, Mom's being as stubborn as ever!" Judy sassed.

"You watch your mouth, girl!" Bonnie warned with a snap of her fingers.

"My mouth, after all the horrible things you said about me and Nick?" Judy countered.

"Ok, everyone, let's not turn this into a ‘who can shout the loudest’ contest, we really need to sort this out." Stu interjected.

Bonnie let out a ‘tut’ before mumbling, "Fine."

"Good," Marian fake smiled at Bonnie before trotting over to Stu "A pleasure to meet you, Stu, Judy's told me all about you."

"Pleasure's all mine, Marian, glad you could make it." Stu replied with a genuine smile.

Nick then made his over to Stu and nervously said "Nice to finally meet you, Stu."

Stu saw the anxiety in Nick and smiled, "And it's nice to meet the man that made my little Jude so happy."

"Ok, so, first things first," Heather cut to the chase, "Mom, what's your problem with inters?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone else." Bonnie replied.

"Well, you kinda' do, after you've split your family apart and forbid four of your children from the house." Judy parried.

"You're all going through a phase, that's all." Bonnie griped.

"Oh, where have I heard that before? Hmm lemme' think." Judy said with utter sarcasm, putting her paw on her chin "Oh, yeah, you said the same thing when Connor came out."

"That was different; at least Connor was in love with another bunny." Bonnie tried to justify.

"So, why is loving someone from another species so different?" Nick asked, with the least threatening voice he could manage.

"Because, it ain't right! It's against nature." Bonnie rebuffed.

"Nature? Ha!" Marian gave a harsh laugh

"What are you laughing at?" Bonnie glowered at Marian

"Your narrow mind, if you must know." Marian smarmed back, spotting a mini fridge in the corner and walking over to it.

"Listen here, Mrs High and Mighty, even you must know that a Rabbit and a Fox being lovers is against nature." Bonnie aimed at the vixen.

"Stop using that phrase." Marian said, opening the fridge and grabbing six cans of beer.

"What phrase?" Bonnie questioned.

"Against nature, it's an irrelevant term." Marian answered, tossing beer cans to Heather and Judy, which they caught with ease.

"And how do figure that?" Bonnie asked with venom as the vixen threw cans to the waiting paws of Nick and Stu.

Marian then took a breath, walked over to Bonnie, handed her a beer, bared her fangs and snarled, "Because, if we were complying by nature, I'd be ripping your throat out with my fangs."

"Mom!" Nick yelled in horror.

"What? It's the truth isn't it?" Marian asked rhetorically, opening her own can of larger, "If nature was the be all and end all of everything, we'd be these bunnies' worst nightmare. Fact is, we're not."

"She's got a point, Bon." Stu agreed with the Englishwoman.

"Look at your daughter, then look at my kit," Marian instructed to the Hopps matriarch, before taking a gulp of her beer, "they love each other just like any other couple, nature had nothing to do with it."

Bonnie was quiet for a few seconds, she then opened her can of beer, downed half of it with one gulp, before saying to Marian "Fine, let's talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ What did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Next time on Take a Stand; the Hopps’ and Wildes talk it out, Robin corners Bagheera, Luna has some fun on the farm and a dark promise is made. Please review and c ya soon...)


	27. A dark promise

** Chapter 27- A Dark Promise **

"Look at your daughter, then look at my kit," Marian instructed to the Hopps matriarch, before taking a gulp of her beer, "they love each other just like any other couple, nature has nothing to do with it."

Bonnie was quiet for a few seconds, she then opened her can of beer, downed half of it with one gulp before saying to Marian, "Fine, let's talk."

"Ok, there's one thing I want from you before we continue any further," Judy demanded "I want you to apologise to Nick and I."

Nick noticed Bonnie's fur stand on end and whispered to his girlfriend, "Wrong move, Carrots."

"Me apologise? It's you who needs to apologise!" Bonnie argued.

"For being in love?" Judy laughed with spite.

"For letting the family find out you were an inter on national TV." Bonnie threw back.

"I already explained it was the heat of the moment and Bastille pushed my buttons." Judy justified.

"Oh, like that's an excuse, you didn't even have the decency to tell your own flesh and blood about your…your…preference." Bonnie struggled to find the right word.

"What about that word you used? What you called me and Nick, I want you to apologise for calling us that." Judy stuck to her guns.

"What word?" Heather asked, a little flummoxed.

"Impure." Bonnie answered, knowing full well that the word would sting Judy.

Judy was about to return with a shout, but Nick's voice cut through the tense atmosphere, "Mr.s. Hopps, you know what you said hurt, and, furthermore;; you know it's not true." Nick said, sounding sure of himself.

Bonnie's expression turned even more sour as she replied, "Don't tell me what I ought to be thinking."

"Really? Before you found out Judy was an inter, would you have ever used the word impure to describe her? Cos' I sure as hell wouldn't." Nick put it to the bunny matriarch.

"Well…no." Bonnie was caught out.

"Do you think just because she's in love with someone, who isn't a bunny, she's a completely different mammal from the one you raised?" Nick posed the deliberately trapping question.

"No." Bonnie answered with a huff.

"Of course she isn't," Nick continued "Judy is loving, empathetic, trusting, friendly and determined. There isn't an impure bone in her body."

"Nick." Judy smiled at her beau, while Marian looked at her son with pride.

"Bonnie, he's right. Just apologise." Stu encouraged with a calm manner, supping his beer.

Bonnie then looked at her daughter with guilt and admitted with a heavy heart, "I'm sorry I called you impure."

But, Judy wasn't satisfied and she pressured, "Apologise to Nick too."

Instead of replying to Judy, Bonnie just looked up at Nick and said, condemningly, "As far as I'm concerned, you're the bastard who messed with my daughter's head."

"Why, you little…" Marian growled, taking a few steps towards Bonnie before Judy stopped her with a gentle paw on her arm.

"Mom, cool it!" Nick warned his mother, before returning his attention to Bonnie, "You're right, you don't know me. So, go ahead. ask this 'Inter Bastard' anything."

"Nick, you don't have to prove yourself to her." Judy interrupted.

"If it gets her to understand, then yeah, I have to." Nick corrected.

"How long have you been inter?" Bonnie asked, quick as a flash.

"Since I was ten, I had a crush on my best friend's sister." Nick answered honestly; he could see the answer just confused the angry rabbit further.

"Have you just dated prey?" Bonnie carried on her line of questioning.

"No, I dated a dingo, a lynx and a badger when I was younger." Nick listed.

"But you must like vixens, as well, seeing as you have a daughter." Bonnie probed.

"Species doesn't matter to me." Nick stated with truth.

"Clearly, you'll jump into the sack with anyone." Bonnie insulted. "You're nothing but a pervert."

"I'm sorry, but are you looking for me to kick your arse? Because, I am more than happy to oblige," Marian asked Bonnie with venom.

"I bet you're half of your boy's problem, encouraging him." Bonnie countered.

"I've always taught my son to embrace who he is, and not feel ashamed of it, like any sane parent would." Marian parried.

"A sane parent would teach their child right from wrong; like the fact that different species shouldn't mate!" Bonnie marched over and squared up to the taller mammal.

"Let me tell you what's wrong; not accepting your children just the way they are." Marian replied, not the least bit intimidated.

"I don't need some stuck up, foreign fox telling me how to raise my kits." Bonnie hurled back.

"Oh, so you don't just hate inters? You're a speciest, and a xenophobe, as well, how charming." Marian figured with a fiery tone.

"Ok, stop it, the pair of you." Stu interrupted, setting his beer down on a nearby coffee table, "Fighting about different ways of parenting ain't gonna solve this problem."

"And what will?" Bonnie asked her husband, dubiously.

"Talking about Nick and Judy's parenting," Stu answered, optimistically.

"What?" Bonnie asked, sounding perplexed.

"Luna, that little'un, is a testament to how well Nick and Judy work together." Stu declared.

"You barely even know the child." Bonnie cut down.

"I know enough, I know that she's sweet as pie, that she's polite, and she even told me Judy's a great step mom." Stu informed.

Bonnie took a moment then looked at Nick and said "Look Nick, I have nothing against your daughter, she's innocent in all this, but when the shit hits the fan, she'll need some real parenting from two foxes, not an inter couple."

"Believe me, mom, the shit already hit the fan, as soon as we met Luna." Judy butted in.

"How do you mean?" Bonnie asked.

"Luna's mom, Victoria, passed away not even a week ago, and before that, she had a long battle with cancer." Judy revealed, "And every step of the way we've been with Luna, helping her cope, letting her grieve, and making her feel loved…because we do love her, like any parents would."

"Like you and Dad love all of us." Heather added.

"That little girl just lost her mother…oh god." Bonnie lamented, regretting dismissing the child when they met.

"Vic only knew Judy a short time, but she knew her well enough to know that's she a good mammal," Nick confided "she trusted me and Judy to raise the most precious thing in the world to her.

There was another lull of silence. Bonnie swigged her beer before looking at her feet and saying "You marked her; I could smell you on her."

"I did." Judy responded, her voice steady.

"You love her that much?" Bonnie asked, knowing the significance of the act.

"I do," Judy answered before saying unashamedly, "she's a part of my life now and I never want to let her go."

Bonnie, who's feelings were at odds with one another, waddled over to sofa and flopped down on it, she pulled on her ears and let out a frustrated sigh (Nick couldn't help but be reminded of Judy when Bonnie did this) "I still don't like this." Bonnie confessed.

"That's what I don't get." Nick reacted, his tone confused, "After all the things Judy's told me about you, I just don't understand your reaction."

"You know nothing about me." Bonnie deflected.

"I know what Judy's told me about you; that you’re nurturing and loving, that both you and Stu used to be a little distrusting of predators, but you owned up to your mistakes and fixed them." Nick said with conviction.

"Nick, please…" Bonnie mumbled, feeling uncomfortable.

"Then I look at Judy's siblings, all of them have made Luna, my Mom and I feel welcome. And, of course, there's Judy herself, the mammal who turned my life around, who I trust with my life, day in and day out, my best friend, and the mammal who I want to spend the rest of my life with. All that kindness, all that loving instinct, your kids learned from you and Stu," Nick made his case, "so, I have to wonder, ‘why do you hate inters?’, because someone as kind hearted as you doesn't just naturally hate another for something as simple as loving another species."

Bonnie was starting to shuffle in her seat with nerves, but stared back at the vulpine and sassed, "What's your point?"

"My point is that something must've triggered this hate, some event, so I’ve got to ask; what made you hate inters?" Nick asked with a sure tone.

Bonnie had been caught out; the cop in Judy instantly spotted the skittish twitch in her mom's face, the same twitch a perp would give when they were faced with exposure, "Mom?" Judy pressed.

"It's complicated." Bonnie tried to dodge.

"That ain't gonna cut it," Heather weighed in, "four of your kids feel like outsiders in their own family because of your issues, so tell us."

Stu walked over to Bonnie, sat next to her on the sofa, and entwined his paw in hers and eased, "Come on, Bon, tell us darlin'."

"M-my sister Agnes, she courted an Otter." Bonnie managed to get out, the mere memory seemed to cause her pain.

"Agnes? I don't remember any aunt named Agnes." Heather commented, rifling through her memories.

Marian could see the sorrow in Bonnie's face and carefully enquired, "What happened?"

"I was only fifteen at the time, a couple of years before I met Stu; I was at the drive in with some friends when I spotted Agnes kissing this Otter. When she got home, I asked her about it, she said she was in love with him, I told her that our folks would flip about it, but she swore me to secrecy." Bonnie explained, her amethyst eyes welling up.

"You've never mentioned this before." Stu said, his tone soothing.

"A few months passed, and I was at school, when I saw Agnes and her fella George fighting behind the gym, then he hit her…he hit her hard." Bonnie told, her spare paw starting to tremble.

"Then what happened?" Judy asked, she had to know the rest of the story.

"I threatened to tell my parents, but Agnes begged me to keep quiet and, like a fool, I did." Bonnie repented. "A week later, George got into a rage again, he punched Agnes and, when she fell to the ground, her head hit concrete…she died of a bleed in the brain."

"Mom…" Heather uttered with sadness.

"George got sentenced to murder, got the chair…but my parents, they didn't even mourn Agnes, they disowned her, and everyone else did." Bonnie cried, "That's why I swore I'd never let any of my babies be wooed by a predator because, when you mix species and romance, disaster happens."

Judy walked over to where her mom was sitting and spoke sincerely, "Mom, I'm sorry about your sister."

Bonnie continued to sob into her paws.

"I need you to look at me." Judy insisted.

Bonnie looked up at her daughter with watery eyes

"I need you to answer honestly; do you really think Nick would physically hurt me?" Judy asked, motioning towards her boyfriend.

Bonnie sniffed and wiped some of her tears away with her shaky paw before admitting "…No."

With that one syllable, a collective weight was lifted off of everyone's shoulders. Stu brought his wife into a hug, kissed her on the cheek and gently spoke, "Bon, I think it's time to let this fear go. Nick's a good man and Pete, Olivia and Tamara are dating nice mammals too, you know that deep down right?"

"…Yes." Bonnie answered with a quivering lip "I hate this fighting."

"Then let's stop, left's go back to being a family," Judy gifted a smile to her weeping mother, "now what would you normally do if we had guests on the farm?"

Bonnie then smiled for the first time all day, "I'd welcome them with open arms."

"It's not too late," Heather encouraged, "but first, I think you really should say sorry."

"You're right." Bonnie conceded, before standing up and facing Judy, taking hold of both her daughter's paws and saying "I'm sorry…are you still one of my girls?"

Judy let the words sink in for a nanosecond before hugging her mother, "Of course I am." Judy answered with tears in her eyes.

Bonnie savoured the hug, but knew she had some more apologising to do, so, she ended the hug with her daughter and stepped over to Nick and said from her heart, "I'm sorry Nick, for all those horrible things I said, can you forgive me?"

Nick answered by opening his arms and giving his winning smile.

Bonnie nodded and embraced the canine in a hug and whispered, "You look after Judy, you hear?"

"Don't you worry," Nick assured with a whisper back.

Bonnie then moved onto Marian, who was looking at Bonnie with a poker face which made the Hopps matriarch more tetchy, "Now, I know we haven't got off to the best start," Bonnie understated, "but, if you're willing to accept my apology, maybe we could be friends."

Marian gave a loud sigh before grinning, "You know, I've always had a terrible memory, suffice to say I think I've forgotten the last thirty minutes that just transpired. So, allow me to introduce myself, I'm Marian Wilde; Nicholas' mother." Marian ended with a wink and an extended paw.

Everyone in the room smiled at this little pantomime, no more so than Bonnie. The older doe shook the vixen's hand and gave a teary smile, "Welcome to Hopps Farm, Marian."

000

There are some smells that are instantly recognisable to every mammal; the smell of freshly baked bread, freshly laundered sheets and, let's not forget, good old gasoline. That's the scent that filled Commissioner Bagheera's nose, right now. The jet black panther's yellow eyes fluttered open in his dark bedroom, the air held the unmistakable smell of fuel. The big cat instantly panicked as he felt his sheets soaked and noticed his bedside cabinet was soaked with fluid. He went to get out of bed when a voice said, loudly, "I wouldn't move if I were you, Commissioner."

Bagheera looked to the bay window opposite his bed to see shadowed figures, only illuminated by the moonlight. One was broad and larger than himself, and the other was hooded and a third of his size. Bagheera was frightened, but still bolstered, "You have five seconds to leave before I call 911."

"That isn't the number you should be concerned with, old boy," an English accent crooned; suddenly, a flick of a lighter illuminated the face of the infamous fox; The Hood, "the number you should be focused on is 257."

Bagheera was scared of both the flame from the lighter, and the face of the outlaw, but he still asked "What?"

"Because 257 degrees Celsius is the temperature that petrol burns at." Robin sniggered, waving the lighter around.

"Oh god…" Bagheera uttered with fear.

"Or 495 Fahrenheit is the heat gasoline burns at." Robin smirked with a phoney American accent.

"That was terrible." Little John chuckled.

"Yeah, like your English accent is any better." Robin laughed along.

"What do you want with me? You target gangsters; I'm the god damn police commissioner." Bagheera babbled, too frightened to move an inch.

Little John proceeded to hold up Bagheera's ZPD shield that was in a small leather case and read aloud, "Trust, Integrity, Bravery; the three principles that make an honest cop, and the three principles you lack."

"Look I don't know why you're here, but I'm a clean cop. I mean, I wouldn't have been made commissioner if I was dirty." Bagheera tried to convince the intruders.

"Clean, huh?" Robin shrugged "Well, what about that nice nest egg we found under the floorboards in your study? There has to be at least half a million in unmarked bills there."

Bagheera knew vthere was no use in playing innocent anymore. He was still terrified, but he spat, "Fine, take the money, just get out of my home!"

"Oh, if it was only that simple," Robin smiled, holding the lighter close to his face so the feline could see his sinister smile, "we've already taken the cash, but that is only part of our problem. You see, we want to know who pays you off."

"You two are smart mammals, I'm sure you already know." Bagheera fired back; the smell of gasoline was making him dizzy.

"Well, we know about Misdadd and Rattigan, but we want to know about the third player." Little John coaxed.

Bagheera gasped, he couldn't believe they knew about Buttercup. If they knew about the information broker, they also knew about the deadly rumours surrounding the name. "Y-you're both crazy, I'm not telling you anything."

"Ok." Robin grinned, motioning the lighter to the soaked carpet.

"WAIT!" Bagheera panicked, "Please, you can't ask me about Buttercup, I've never even seen his face."

"His face? Damn Hood, this guy really is clueless." Little John chuckled, "Listen, Baggy, we know you don't deal with Buttercup directly, but we need to know what you do for her."

"And if you don't, well, you'll be feeling the heat." Robin threatened, waving the lighter.

"…If I tell you, can you guarantee my safety, that I'll be ok?" Bagheera asked, his usual powerful voice now feeble.

"I'll make sure no harm befalls you." Robin danced around the truth; he'd make sure no physical harm came to the crooked cat, but would make sure he would rot in a prison cell.

Bagheera weighed up his options; turn on the Underworld trio, or be burnt alive. Without his money, he couldn't flee the country and start a new life but, at this moment, he didn't have much choice. He sighed as he began to unveil his nefarious actions, "Every Friday, a letter shows up on my desk with a set of instructions, telling me to make certain pieces of evidence disappear, plant evidence on others and to hand over files and evidence to the drop off."

"What drop off?" Little John asked.

"It's where I get my pay off for the week, ten grand each time. It's at a bakery in the Meadowlands, I go in every Monday and buy five dozen donuts for the cops at my precinct and they leave the money in one of the boxes." Bagheera elaborated.

"Ok, but how do you hand the files over?" Robin probed.

"I walk into the shop, carrying a normal plastic shopping bag, containing the files and evidence; I put the bag in the trashcan next to the counter." Bagheera revealed.

"Clever." Little John nodded, "So, here's whatcha' going to do, Baggy; you're going to head to that bakery on Monday and do everything as normal, collect your money and don't breathe a word about this to anyone, especially the Underworld trio, because if you do…well, you use your imagination."

"Oh, and if you try to stop us, or alert the trio, I've been recording this conversation." Robin stated, pointing to the small cam on his tunic, "And, if anything happens to me or Little John, or if you betray us, this video will automatically be sent to every news outlet in the country. Do we understand each other?"

"Y-yes," Bagheera stammered, feeling sick to his stomach with fear.

"Good." Robin gave a typical fox smile before dropping the still lit lighter to the soaked carpet.

"NOOOO!" Bagheera roared with terror but, as the open flame hit the floor, nothing happened, causing the petrified Panther to utter "What?"

"It’s water dumb, ass," Little John laughed, "you're covered in water, too."

"But, the smell...?" Bagheera asked hastily.

"Oh, you mean the petrol?" Robin sniggered, before walking over to Bagheera's bedside and lifting up a bucket full of actual gasoline, "Misdirection can be such a powerful weapon."

"You little bastard!" Bagheera snarled, making his claws pop out,

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Commissioner," Robin played, holding up his index finger, "remember, if _anything_ happens to me or Little John, this video will automatically go across all media stations."

Bagheera retracted his claws and griped, "Get the hell out of my house."

"Gladly," Robin replied, "see you Monday morning."

000

Raymond Bastille was not happy. He wolverine hadn't been happy since he had come face to face with the Underworld Trio and their brutal methods; the image of Perry Flynn's face disappearing under the gloopy cement was a recurring memory that would pop up now and then. He had just finished an interview on a late night talk show which went surprisingly well, despite the lingering worries haunting his mind. Right now, all he wanted to do was have a stiff brandy and crawl into bed. The election was just under two weeks away and the campaigning, along with the pressure of the trio, was tiring him both physically and mentally. He was heading to his car in the underground parking lot of the TV station when a voice said, "That was a good interview, Raymond."

The on edge Bastille turned around quickly, ready to strike, but his nerves calmed as soon as he saw who had spoken; standing there was his political rival Trevor Moon, "Moon? You nearly gave me a heart attack." Bastille reacted.

"Sorry, I know how nervous you must be feeling, presently." Trevor commented.

"Why are you here, Moon?" Bastille asked, he wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.

"To congratulate you; you're going to win the election by default." Trevor spoke, sounding ashamed.

"What? What on earth on you talking about?" Bastille asked, figuring this must be some trick.

"On Monday afternoon, I'm going to call a press conference and withdraw from the race, then I'm going to hand myself over to the authorities." Moon explained, touching his gold wedding band for comfort.

Bastille couldn't believe what he was hearing; on the one hand, this was a good thing but, on the other hand, this also opened up a whole new can of worms, "You're sacrificing yourself to bring down Bellwether and the others." Bastille assumed.

"Yes, I won't be their puppet and, if costs my freedom to stop them, then so be it." Moon replied with defiance.

"But, what about me?!" Bastille panicked.

"Don't worry, I won't snitch on you, Raymond, but if you had any shred of decency, you'd pull out of this election as well." Moon said with conviction.

"If you bring down those three psychopaths, they'll implicate me too!" Bastille stressed.

"Maybe, maybe not, it's more probable they'll use your position as District Attorney to their advantage, and it'll be on your head whether you help them or not." Moon theorised, before walking towards his car "Congratulations, Mr. Mayor."

As Moon got into his car, Bastille slumped against his own, trying to figure out how to get out of this hellish situation.

000

The peace talks had taken their toll on all involved. It was decided that Bonnie and Stu would head back to the main Hopps homestead and Judy and the Wildes would stay at Heather's home, as planned, then tomorrow, Sunday, any Hopps who was in Bunny Burrow would meet at the homestead at midday sharp for a big family get together to cement the newly found peace, and give the Wildes a proper welcome.

It was 11.45 a.m. and Judy, Heather, Jacob and their kits and the three Wildes were walking down the dirt track towards the main hub of the Hopps farm. Luna was walking beside Nick and gripping his paw. Nick gave a little sigh as he looked at his daughter, who was holding her plushie dragon, Mr. Scales, in her other paw. Nick was helping his daughter get ready earlier, when the subject of her riding a tractor came up. At first, the conversation was giddy and excited but, soon enough, Luna began to quietly cry and say that she wanted her Mommy. Despite all the smiles and happiness yesterday, Luna was still grieving, and he mentally kicked himself for thinking that a simple trip outside Zootopia would fix everything. But, this made him more determined to help his daughter through this trying time.

"It's beautiful around here, reminds me of home." Marian admired, taking in the beautiful countryside. The Englishwoman was dressed in a casual black skirt and a Sex Pistols t shirt (she found it hard to completely suppress her inner punk).

"You're from a farming background?" Heather asked, smiling up at the Vixen.

"Sort of, my Uncle Richard used to own a lot of farmland that he would rent out; if I ever wanted to earn some pocket money, he'd send me to one of the farms to help out." Marian explained.

"Wait, wasn't great uncle Richard an Earl? Why didn't he just give you an allowance?" Nick asked, puzzled by his mother's words.

"Oh, Nick, you're still new to being a parent, so you don't know; if you want to teach a child the value of money, you have to make them work for it." Marian explained with a smile.

"It's how my siblings and I learned." Judy supported Marian's argument; the bunny cop had removed her Velcro attached cast since her wrist was feeling better. "We didn't get a cent until we did our share in the fields."

"Whoa, hold on sec, did you say your uncle was an Earl? Are you an Aristocrat?" Heather asked, sounding enthralled.

"No blue blood in me, my dear, I was adopted into a family of minor royal Lions when my parents passed away." Marian answered, picturing the friendly face of her beloved Uncle Richard.

"A vixen raised by Lions, well I’ll be. No wonder your Granddaughter is so comfortable with a bunny for a stepmom." Heather smiled, ruffling the fur atop of Luna's head, "Being comfortable around all species must run in the family."

Nick was listening to the conversation intently, but he gradually noticed the multiple buildings on the horizon getting closer. Nick noticed there was a large, four storey farmhouse which, he assumed, was the main house, and then five more two storey houses adjacent from it, with the odd barn and storage shed thrown in. "Damn Carrots, it's like a small town. You were born here?" Nick spoke as he saw the homestead.

"All 276 of us were born on this land, not one of us in the hospital." Judy replied, before taking in a good intake of fresh air, "It's good to be home."

"Wow, it's so big!" Luna spoke, her amber eyes trying to take everything in. "It must've been so cool to grow up here."

"Meh, when you reach your teenage years, it can get boring." Heather admitted.

Nick could hear the chatter of hundreds of bunnies and felt his heart rate pick up just a little, and when he saw how many rabbits there were, he took a very audible gulp. There was at least forty large tables packed with food with Bunnies around them. There was way more than 276 bunnies, it was actually closer to 500 when you factored in the many partners and children of Judy's siblings. "That's a lot of bunnies." Nick gawped.

"Aww, you frightened of some fuzzy wuzzy bunnies, Slick?" Judy teased her boyfriend.

"Funny." Nick replied dryly.

Luna, on the other hand, was not in any way intimidated, and when she spotted Stu chatting with one of his older sons, she let go of Nick's paw and raced over to the patriarch. "Stu!" Luna squealed with delight.

Stu saw the little fox girl rushing towards him, so he knelt down and opened his arms, ready to receive her "Well, if ain't Luna Wilde." he smiled.

Luna leapt into a hug, which the elder rabbit gladly reciprocated, "Are all these bunnies related to you?" Luna asked with wonder, noticing dozens of Lapin eyes falling on her.

"In some way or another," Stu laughed, before noticing the plushie dragon in Luna's paw, "Who's this?

Luna held up her soft toy and introduced, "This is Mr. Scales, he breathes fire and chases away the monsters under my bed."

"Well, that's a useful friend to have." Stu chuckled at the child's imagination.

"Looks like you got a fan there, Dad." Judy spoke up as the rest of the group approached.

Stu got up and embraced both Heather and Judy in a hug, "Hey girls, glad you could make it."

Heather kissed her pa on the cheek before saying, "Mom must've put her foot down and got all of us to come."

"Yeah, you usually see this sort of crowd at Christmas." Judy concurred.

"Well, you know how your Mom can be." Stu confirmed with a wink.

"What can I be like, Stuart?" Bonnie's voice cut through the crowd of her kin.

Stu then saw the unimpressed face of his wife emerge from the crowd as he garbled "Just saying, the family listens to ya', darlin'."

"Hmm," Bonnie sounded before looking at Luna and saying, "Well, hey there little lady,, I think I owe you an apology for being so rude yesterday."

Luna wandered over to Bonnie and extended her paw to the Hopps Matriarch, "It's ok, Mrs. Hopps."

Bonnie smiled at the polite kit, shook her paw and insisted, "You can call me Bonnie."

The subsequent few hours consisted of Judy introducing Nick, Luna and Marian to everyone (again) and everyone well wishing the new couple. At one point, Nick was piled on by a dozen rabbit kits who wanted to get up close to a predator; Marian had embraced all the attention and adored all the little kits giving her attention. Judy, for some unknown reason, had started an arm wrestling contest with a few of her brothers and had beaten them easily, but was eventually defeated by the yoked Heather, who was eventually bested by the muscle bound grandma that was Marian Wilde. Mammals ate, drank and were merry, there was of course some tears from Bonnie, who still felt guilty about treating four of her kits so badly, but all four were willing to make amends and keep the Hopps family united.

Luna was popular among the kits her age, all of them asking about the big city and playing a game of soccer with her. When she was in the middle of a conversation about favourite cartoons with two of Judy's nieces, Stu called over to her, "Hey little'un come here for a sec."

Luna obeyed and followed the farmer to a nearby barn, away from the hustle and bustle of the family get together, "Now, last night your Dad told me you made a promise to someone special." Stu spoke.

"Promise?" Luna asked back.

"About your mom, she wanted you to ride a tractor." Stu reminded with a gentle voice.

"…Yeah." Luna confirmed, sounding a little blue.

"Well, then," Stu said, opening the barn door to reveal a quartet of tractors "which one would you like to ride?"

Luna was taken aback. She didn't expect the vehicles to be so large, but there they were; a silver one, a green one, a blue one and a red tractor. Luna saw the red tractor and cautiously asked, "Would it be ok to ride that red one? Mommy said she had a red toy tractor when she was little."

Stu nodded, then smiled at the kit, "No problem little'un." He walked over to the tractor with Luna closely behind and climbed the steps into the driver's seat before Luna followed him up the small set of steps. When she reached the top, Stu lifted the kit and placed her on his lap, "Now, I want you to keep your paws on the steering wheel while I start the engine, can you do that for me?" Stu asked in a friendly manner.

"Yeah," Luna answered, feeling a tad nervous.

Stu started the engine and the vibrations of the vehicle surprised and entertained the kit, as evident from the smile on her muzzle. "Ok, I'm going to push the gas pedal and I want you to keep us straight until I say so, you hear?" Stu relayed.

"Uh-huh." Luna answered, now less nervous.

Stu gently pushed the accelerator and the tractor slowly began to move until it was out of the barn "Ok, now, slowly turn the wheel left towards that dirt track." Stu instructed the vixen.

"Ok." Luna responded with a smile and did as instructed with precision.

"Well, look at you, six years old and driving a tractor." Stu praised.

"Am I doing good?" Luna asked with hope, She was also hoping her Mom could see her right now.

"You're doing fantastic, Luna." Stu answered gladly. "Your Mom would be proud."

"Really?" Luna asked quickly.

"Well, sure, I bet she was already proud of you anyway, but you've done something she never did. I bet she's looking down on you right now, with a huge smile." Stu encouraged the mourning child.

"Thanks, Stu." Luna said with heart.

Stu looked at the kit on his lap and sighed a little, before saying, "Listen, Luna, I know your dad and Judy ain't married yet, but you already see Judy as your step mom, right?"

"Yeah," Luna replied, unsure of where the conversation was headed.

"Well, if you like, and I sure would like it, you can stop calling me Stu and maybe call me Grandpa…but only if you really want to." Stu requested, sounding strangely shy.

Luna just beamed her usual smile, kissed Stu on the cheek before gushing, "Thanks for the tractor ride, Grandpa."

000

The weekend in Bunny Burrow had been a success, peace had been made, the Wildes were introduced and welcomed into the Hopps clan, and Luna finally got to ride a tractor…and earned a Grandpa as well. Monday morning came, and a few dozen Hopps bunnies, including Stu, Bonnie, Heather and Connor, had waved Judy and the Wildes off on the train platform at the small station, with Judy promising to video call the family at least once a week with Nick and Luna present. The train ride back, however, was a less than entertaining affair for the three females in the party due to Nick being a big cry baby. You see, our favourite fox was treated to a massive breakfast at the Hopps homestead before leaving back for Zootopia, which included Bonnie's signature blueberry pancakes, and like a fool, Nick had gobbled down a stack of seventeen pancakes, resulting in a big tummy ache for the dumb fox. When the train pulled into Zootopia Central station in Savannah Central, Nick had crashed onto a nearby bench, still feeling the effects of the way too filling breakfast. "Listen, I'll get the car, you look after the patient." Marian said sarcastically, flashing her car keys.

"I'll take care of him." Judy gave a small smile, looking at Nick, who had his eyes closed, but still gripping his stomach.

"It'll be ok, Dad. Me, Judy and Mr. Scales will look after you." Luna assured her father, the vixen holding onto her favourite toy.

"Thanks, kiddo, I knew I could count on you," Nick whined, his eyes still closed.

"Oh, stop being a drama queen, Nicholas. Now, wait there like a good kit while I get the car from the parking lot." Marian said, before walking off towards the exit.

Judy, who had only eaten some fruit and a single pancake for breakfast, was starting to feel a little peckish as one p.m. approached. She could smell a sweetness in the air and her eyes focused on an ice cream cart about a hundred feet away across the main foyer of the train station, "Hey, Luna, you want an ice cream?" she asked the kit.

"Yeah!" Luna replied brightly, "Strawberry please."

"You got it. Take care of your dad for me, please." Judy winked at her step daughter before making her way across the busy train terminal to the cart. The confectioner was a male spectacle bear who had just finished serving a jackal couple, before moving onto Judy, "Hello, what can I get for you, Miss?"

Judy looked at the wide selection of ice cream and decided, "Can I get two cones with three scoops please, let's make it strawberry, mint choc chip and banana?"

"Ok, that'll be eight dollars, please." The Spectacle Bear requested.

As Judy went to get her wallet out of her pocket, a hoof flashed in front of the bear with a hundred dollar bill, "Keep the change." A female voice said.

Judy looked at who had paid for her ice cream. It was a mammal only slightly taller than her, wearing grey sweat pants and a black hoodie covering her head. Judy had a sinking feeling in her gut on who this mammal was, so she stepped around to see who it was under the hood. A pair of tortoiseshell glasses framed a set of mischievous green eyes, and a smile of pearly whites made Judy ball her paws into fists instantly. "You," Judy growled, launching a kick at the ewe instantly, which the disgraced former mayor dodged.

"Hello to you too, Judy," Dawn sniggered. Luckily for her, no one in the foyer was paying attention to the two small mammals, including the bear who had his back turned.

"You made a big mistake coming here." Judy sniped, wishing she had her tranq pistol on her.

"And here was me, wanting a chat with an old friend." Dawn replied. "Oh, and before you go all crazy, I must warn you if you lay a finger on me, I promise you'll regret it."

"If I get hurt taking you down, it'll be worth it." Judy blazed, wondering what limb of Dawn's she'd break first.

"You? So selfish, thinking of yourself," Dawn mock chastised, taking the ice cream cones from the bear and placing them in Judy's paws, "I'm not going to hurt you directly, maybe you should turn around."

Judy turned around and could clearly see Nick and Luna sitting on the bench, but something was off…there was a red laser dot on the oblivious and innocent Luna's head, and she was playing with her toy dragon "Luna…" Judy uttered with sheer fear.

"I know you don't fear me," Dawn grinned devilishly, putting a paw on Judy's shoulder "but, by the end of this conversation, I promise you, I'll be your worst nightmare."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! Bellwether has a sniper on Luna!? What did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Next time on Take a Stand; Judy and Dawn 'Talk', Jack goes raiding and one of the ZPD's finest is put in danger. Please review and C YA SOON...)


	28. Threads of fate

** Chapter 28- Threads of fate **

"You? So selfish thinking of yourself," Dawn mock chastised, taking the ice cream cones from the bear and placing them in Judy's paws, "I'm not going to hurt you directly, maybe you should turn around."

Judy turned around and could clearly see Nick and Luna sitting on the bench, but something was off…there was a red laser dot on the oblivious and innocent Luna's head, she was playing with her toy dragon "Luna…" Judy uttered with sheer fear.

"I know you don't fear me," Dawn grinned devilishly, putting a paw on Judy's shoulder, "but, by the end of this conversation, I promise you, I'll be your worst nightmare."

Judy knew she couldn't strike Dawn. She was terrified but she was also overcome by rage, and that fury came from her mouth in a daunting voice, "If you do anything to my kit, I swear I'll end you."

"There she is; there's the bunny who just wouldn't quit." Dawn replied with a snigger, "I've always liked that tenacity in you, but then, there are a lot of things I despise about you."

"What do you want?" Judy asked sharply, putting the ice cream cones on the cone stand atop of the cart, wondering how the Sheep had managed to dodge her kick.

Dawn ignored Judy's question and carried on with her bitter prattle, "I mean, you actually turned on your own kind, prey could finally be the dominant group of mammals, and you throw it away because of some stupid optimistic lie about prey and predator living in harmony; what a crock of shit."

"I'm not as small minded as you, Dawn," Judy slung back.

Dawn let out a small titter before saying, "Even when I have a gun aimed at your loved ones, you still can't help being feisty, most mammals would be all like, 'Oh please, don't hurt them, I beg you', but not you, I have to admire that."

Judy looked at Luna once more, feeling nauseous with terror as the red laser dot hovered over her temple. Nick, who had his eyes averted and his attention focused on his tummy ache, was unaware of the danger his daughter was in. "Have your sniper aim at me, leave Luna and Nick out of this." Judy bargained, her voice still heavy with anger.

"Nah," Dawn shrugged, "You see, pointing a gun at someone who is stupidly brave like you is pointless, but put what they love most in the crosshairs, and they become very submissive."

"You're a monster." Judy snarled, noticing that Dawn's left eye was twitching.

"I'm a necessary evil," Dawn corrected, "I was when I was at city hall and I am now."

"Necessary?" Judy questioned, her eyes darting between Luna and the twisted ewe.

"Did you ever wonder why Preds stopped hunting us? It wasn't because they wanted to be friends and build communities together with prey; the real reason is, they feared us," Dawn said, answering her own question.

"What?" Judy reacted, her eyes now looking upwards, trying to spot the sniper.

"Like I said to you once; prey outnumber predators ten to one, it has always been this way even back in the Stone Age. They knew if they kept hunting us, we'd fight back, and with our numbers, they would lose, so they proposed peace, and like fools, our ancestors accepted it. Ever since then, Predators have held the highest positions in society while Prey have been shunned. We are the superior group of mammals, and they are so much weaker than they think. Prey was supposed to eradicate predators." Dawn monologued, her hooves shuddering as she spoke.

"So, that's the reason? That's why you made all those predators suffer? Some warped ideology about species supremacy. You're just a psycho." Judy replied with contempt.

Dawn's grin just grew at the mention of the word 'Psycho' and teased, "Do you really want to know how much of a psycho I am? You see that filthy little brat of Wilde's? I can think of so many ways to hurt her."

"Don't even…" Judy warned.

"First of all, I'd need to incapacitate you, maybe get someone to break both of your arms and your legs, then I'd make you watch." Dawn painted a gory picture.

"Why are you doing this?" Judy hissed.

"I'd put that little pred bitch in front of you, then I'd stab her in the gut and let her bleed out nice and slow, and you would have to watch the life leave the eyes of that brat as she breathes her last and joins her bitch mother in hell." Dawn threatened, her eye twitching more vigorously now.

"Why are you saying this?" Judy demanded, her voice betraying her and revealing her fear "Why are you here?"

"To tell you something; I am in control of your fate. I can bring your whole world crashing down with a phone call, I have eyes and ears everywhere, you are not safe, those damn foxes you love aren't safe, and at any moment I can sever any thread I want." Dawn directed with malice, "If you ever rise against me again, hell even if you displease me, I promise, the first casualties will be Wilde and his kid…now let me ask you something; do you fear me now?"

Judy's mouth was dry from fright, she still felt furious, but the overriding feeling now was pure dread as she answered truthfully, "Yes."

"Good girl, now pick up your ice creams and go back to your preds, you're not going to send anyone after me, because I'm a mammal who keeps her promises, understand?" Dawn asked, knowing the bunny would comply.

Judy took the ice creams off of the cone stand, went to open her mouth to threaten back, but stopped herself. She glared at Bellwether once more before turning around and heading back to Nick and Luna. As soon as Judy started walking, Dawn walked in the opposite direction towards the exit, with her small stature and hood covering the majority of her head, she weaved through the crowd unnoticed. The moment she reached the pavement outside the station, a black Mercedes Benz with tinted windows pulled up. She opened the back passenger door and got in. Felicia was in the driver's seat and drove off as soon as Dawn shut the door, the sheep smiling to herself with victory; everything had gone according to plan. She looked down at her trembling hooves and huffed before fishing out what looked like a silver cigarette case from her hoodie pocket. She popped it open to reveal a dozen pink Morrigan pills. Dawn picked out two tabs and swallowed them quickly, hoping they would sate her jitters and twitches. This drug wasn't just a steroid, it helped her focus, her reflexes were also sharper, and it helped release all the rage she had and, for such a small sheep, she had a lot of rage. The logical part of her brain told her to stop this habit, but her addiction beat down the logic and the mentality of a junkie had set in. Dawn Bellwether was addicted to Morrigan, to power and to sadism.

000

Robin and Little John hated sitting on the side lines, they were mammals of action, with decades of heists and missions under their belt, and now they were sipping crappy coffee and looking at a bank of computer monitors in the MCB's secret base/storage locker. After the pair had gotten the info out of Commissioner Bagheera, they went back to their van where Skye and Jack had been monitoring their unique form of interrogation. They then hatched a plan to stake out the bakery before eventuality raiding it. The only problem was, the MM gang wasn't welcome on this mission. When the fox and bear asked why, Skye answered that the Underworld trio, the ZPD and the rest of Zootopia still think the MCB was hunting down the master thieves, not in cahoots with them. This mission was going to be in broad daylight, it was not going to be a stealth mission. This was, hopefully, going to be the first step in bringing down the tyranny of the trio.

Skye, who looked stylish as ever in a new black Chanel suit, stood in front of the monitors, while her subordinates coordinated and kept in contact with the four agent raid team, led by Jack. The raid team, who were lying in wait in a decoy telecoms repair van, had observed Bagheera go into the bakery, put the package in the trash can by the counter, collect his donuts and pay. Now, all they had to do was wait. They were waiting for someone to empty that trashcan, or a member of the trio's organisation to walk in. It had been ninety minutes since Bagheera had left the bakery, and there had been nothing that would trigger the MCB's suspicions. "Well, this is least exciting mission I've ever been a part of." Little John groused, leaning back in his chair.

"We're not part of this mission Johnny, we're just the audience." Robin corrected, pondering whether or not to continue drinking the bad coffee when he really wanted a cup of tea.

"Actually, gentlemen, you're here because of your knowledge of Zootopia's underworld," Skye interrupted, her icy blue eyes still on the monitors, "if you spot any known associates of the Underworld trio, please speak up."

"Yes, ma'am," Little John gave a mock salute.

The three were quiet for a few minutes, the only sound was typing of keyboards and the hushed conversations of the other agents. Robin was looking at Skye and how she interacted with the agents under her command; she was direct, but not condescending, if she requested something, she would always end with a please, and her colleagues never questioned or sassed back. It was clear to see that Skye was well respected within the bureau, which Robin found odd, considering her species and her age. This train of thought led to Robin saying, "Miss Winter, I know it's rude to ask, but I must know; how old are you?"

Skye turned to face Robin and answered, "I'm 34, why'd you ask?"

"It's just that you're a District Director within the MCB. I thought that gig was for the fifty plus crowd, not someone as young as you." Robin explained.

"I joined the academy straight out of college. I was a fully fledged agent by 23 and I was tasked to the organised crimes division, which is where I met Jack. I kept cracking cases, so I moved up the chain of command quickly." Skye recalled with a soft smile.

"Ah, the old office romance scenario." Little John commented.

"Not exactly, we were rivals; we were in a constant game of one-upmanship. Truth be told, I hated that striped little bastard for a while." Skye admitted.

Robin smiled at this revelation, being reminded of how he and Marian didn't get on at first, but quickly fell in love, "So, what changed?" he asked.

"Well, it isn't the stuff of great romance novels, but there was a retirement party for one of the agents." Skye told with a sly grin.

"Let me guess, drunken one night stand?" Little John chuckled at his question.

"Yep," Skye confirmed "but, soon enough, it turned to friends with benefits, then after a few months of that, we decide to go steady, and the rest is history."

Robin gave a warm look to Skye and said, "I know we haven't always gotten along, but I'm glad Skippy found someone who truly loves him, you're a good mammal, Skye…for a fed."

"And you two are not bad either…for a couple of thieves." Skye returned with a friendly jibe.

The banter was broken by the hammering of a paw on the metallic door of the storage unit. Skye looked to the CCTV monitor to see a grainy, black and white image of a distressed looking Nick and Judy waiting to be let in, "Let them in." Skye instructed the caribou agent guarding the door.

The instant the door opened, Judy barged in yelling, "I need a protection squad on Luna, right now!"

"Whoa, whoa, what are you talking about Judy?" Skye asked, observing that the bunny had the odd mix of crying eyes and a furious face.

"It's Bellwether! She found me; she threatened Luna and Nick's lives!" Judy rambled.

"Wait, what?" Robin asked with alarm, rising to his feet.

"We were at the train station, mom had gone to fetch the car and Judy went to buy Luna an ice cream, then she showed up." Nick explained quickly with an anxious expression, a half full bottle of Pepto-Bismol in his paw.

"Why didn't you kick her ass?" Little John asked the obvious.

"Because, she had a damn sniper on Luna!" Judy cried, her face still twisted with anger.

"Oh god." Robin gasped, "Where's Luna now?"

"She’s at mom's house. She knows what went down, but Luna's oblivious, thankfully." Nick answered, talking another glug of the medicine; he still felt ill.

Skye's game face returned as she turned to the dozen or so MCB agents that had heard the entire exchange, and asked loudly, "Blake, Hassan, Smythe, Muller, you were selected by Jack to guard Luna originally, yes?"

A rhino, a springbok, a cougar and a razorback boar stepped forward. The springbok leader of the squad, Hassan, answered "Yes ma'am, we were told to stand down due to the fact that the child was in Bunny Burrow for the weekend."

"Well, you're being reactivated; I want that little girl kept safe. If any threats show up, eliminate them, understood?" Skye ordered.

"Ma'am," the four replied in unison before making their way out of the makeshift base.

"I'll go, too," Little John stated, "if trouble comes a knocking, I'm the best getaway driver there is, I'll get Luna somewhere safe."

"Thanks, John." Nick breathed. The grizzly bear put his jacket and flat cap back on and left the storage locker, leaving the tormented pair of Nick and Judy still racked with worry.

"I can't believe this is happening…" Judy lamented.

"It's going to be ok, Carrots." Nick spoke softly, pulling his love into a hug.

"What did she want?" Skye queried, wondering why the most elusive member of the trio would just show up like that.

"To scare me," Judy revealed, still holding onto Nick for comfort, "to tell me that she could end Luna and Nick's life whenever she wanted, she doesn't want me coming after her."

"That's just creepy." Robin shuddered.

"She was spouting on about some messed up ideology that prey were supposed to wipe out predators. She's gone off the rails big time." Judy continued, the tears from her face were soaking Nick's shirt as she leaned her head on Nick.

Nick kissed the top of Judy's head and continued to hug her; he looked briefly at Skye and was about to say something, but then noticed something odd on one of the surveillance monitors. A silver Range Rover SUV with two beavers on motocross bikes pulled into the bakery car park. The driver of the SUV got out of the vehicle and Nick felt suddenly enraged; the driver was a ram with a thick unsheared white wool coat, he had no horns, and his face looked blank and emotionless, just as Nick remembered, "Doug Ramses!" he barked suddenly, letting go of Judy and marching to the monitors for a closer look.

"Who?" Skye asked, baffled by the outburst.

"He was the chemist and sniper in the Night Howler case," Judy answered, joining Nick at the monitors, "he was never caught after we destroyed his lab."

"What do you want to bet that's the sniper Bellwether used at the train station?" Robin theorised with a tint of anger.

"This is it, this is all we need to begin the raid," Skye said with confidence, before grabbing the radio and speaking into it, "this is base to strike team, targets are approaching the building."

000

Jack was in the back of the fake telecom van, his eyes trained on the bakery. He could see through the small window on the back doors, this quiet part of the Meadowlands only had a few pedestrians wandering around. He was perfectly still and focused on the task at hand. He was the smallest member of the raid team, but was dressed in the same black tactical operation gear as his fellow agents, whereas the three other agents wielded assault rifles and a sidearm, Jack had opted to use his bow for this raid, and yeah, it was slower than a gun, but he had more control with a bow. Add to the fact that it was a lot quieter and had a lot less recoil but, if all else failed, he could rely on his trusty pistol.

"Hell, it's so hot in here." A Tigress agent, Patel, complained. She was right, the air was heavy and humid.

"Looks like a storm's going to hit us anytime now." a male Hyena agent, by the name of Jenkins, commented, looking at the dark clouds approaching from the north.

"Great, that's all we need." the female Yak teammate, known as Rivers, huffed, tucking some of her stray fur into her helmet as the first rumbles of thunder could be heard.

"It's actually an advantage," Jack spoke, the pitter patter of rain drops began to land of the roof of the van, "the darkness, coupled with the noise, will mask our approach."

"Damn, Savage, you're like a coiled spring, I'm starting to feel sorry for the guys we're going against." Patel smirked.

"Hey, what's with the bow, The Hood your hero or something?" Rivers asked, jokingly.

"He taught me how to use one of these when I was kit." Jack revealed.

"Oh, come on," Jenkins dismissed, "you knew the world's most famous thief when you were a kid?"

"Yeah, he taught me and his son how to shoot an arrow properly." Jack added, the rain outside was falling harder.

"Y'know, I don't think he's lying, he seemed awfully friendly with the Hood and Little John back at the base." Rivers commented.

"And that hot MILF red vixen." Patel smiled, her little crush on the Maid apparent.

Jack let out an audible grunt before saying, "Don't talk about my godmother like that."

"Wait a sec, you're in a relationship with the boss, who's also a very attractive vixen." Rivers smiled.

"What's your point?" Jack grumbled, gripping his bow tighter.

"We're just saying, you had a very hot vixen godmother, then you get a very hot vixen girlfriend, it kind of raises some red flags." Patel chuckled.

"Yeah, a psychologist would have a field day with you, Savage." Jenkins jabbed before letting out a signature hyena laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Jack tried to brush off, and failed.

Then out of the blue everyone's earpieces came to life with Skye's voice, " _This is base to strike team, targets are approaching the building._ "

Jack flipped straight back to mission mode. He peered out the window to see a Sheep, followed by two beavers, walking across the small parking lot. "Copy that base, which target is priority?" Jack asked Skye through the radio.

" _The ram; he is a known felon called Doug Ramses, beware, this mammal is a skilled marksman."_ Skye informed.

"Affirmative, we move in on your signal." Jack responded, his eyes locked on the three criminals walking into the bakery. He could tell the two beavers had guns concealed in their jackets as evident from the bulges through the fabric. The ram, Doug said something to the jittery, yet pretty, sow behind the counter and she scuttled to the door, locked it, and put up the closed sign. Doug then went straight for the trashcan and picked out the plastic shopping bag before signalling everyone to go into the back.

When the last mammal, in this case, the sow, had entered the back room, Skye commanded, " _Rivers, Jenkins, take the front. Savage, Patel, take the back, and everyone look out for each other. Go go go_!"

Patel slid open the side door of the van, and the four raced out into the hammering rain as the darkness of the squalling sky was illuminated briefly by a fork of lightning a couple of miles away, with a loud crack of thunder echoing through the Meadowlands a second or two. Jack, the only team member without a helmet due to his long ears, was getting drenched from the onslaught of rain, but it didn't slow him down. Soon enough, he was at the service entrance at the back of the bakery, pressing himself against the red brick of the small building on the left side of the door, with Patel on the right, the tigress then pulled out a small square of plastic explosive and placed it on the lock of the metallic door along with a small coin sized disc, which would detonate the explosive. Jack whispered into his radio, "Rivers, Jenkins, are you in position?"

" _Copy that Savage, we're ready to breach."_  Rivers' voice replied.

"On my mark we breach, good luck guys." Jack relayed, taking a taser arrow out of his quiver and placing the feather end on the bow string. He looked at the much taller Patel, who gave him a wink of confidence as she held the detonator in her paw, "3, 2, 1, BREACH!" Jack ordered with force. The dual sound of small explosions on either side of the building rang out, and Jack was the first to enter once the door was pried open by the blast. The buck rabbit was met with a startled Beaver reaching inside his jacket to pull out his gun, but Jack let fly a taser arrow and the paddle tailed mammal was left thrashing around on the floor. A huge shout of "Bastards!" was heard, and Jack saw a Hippo, dressed in baker's whites, fumbling for a shotgun from a locker, but before he could even aim it, Patel fired two bullets into the mammal's flabby chest, killing him. Jack swiftly prepared a tranq arrow for his next encounter as he spotted a set of stairs leading down to a basement. Jack spoke into his comms quickly, "Rivers, Jenkins report."

But there was no need for a radio response as the two MCB operatives appeared through the door leading to the counter, "Front is clear, boss." Jenkins replied.

"Great, that means they're in the basement." Patel grimaced, looking at the stair case and knowing if anyone walked down there, they were walking into certain death. "What's the play Savage?"

Another flash of lightning erupted outside, coupled with the thunder, and Jack got an idea as soon as he heard the rumble of thunder. He looked around the kitchen for a fuse box; it was not far from the oven. "Everyone get their night vision goggles on." Jack instructed. The MCB agents connected the dots and figured out what he was planning, so they all quickly retrieved their goggles from their belts and slipped them on their heads. Jack nodded to Rivers, who in turn went to the fuse box and switched off the power. Every member of the raid team then turned their goggles on, turning the world around into varying shades of green. "Ok, here's the plan," Jack laid out with a hushed tone, "Jenkins, you will throw a flash bang down the staircase; they'll panic and fire wildly until their clips are empty. At that moment, Patel, Rivers and I will rush down the stairs and subdue them before they can reload. Jenkins, I want you up here in case one of them tries to make a break for it. You got it?"

"Got it," all three quietly responded.

"Ok, let's do this. Jenkins, if would you kindly," Jack replied. Jenkins the Hyena then pulled the pin out of one of his flash grenades and tossed it down the dark staircase and, as predicted, one of the perps had begun firing at a crazy rate in a panic. Jack figured it was some sort of machine gun pistol by the sound and rate of fire but, soon enough, the clip was empty. Jack, being the fleetest of foot, zipped down the staircase and was met with the image of a beaver reloading his gun. Jack quickly fired the arrow into the enforcer, causing a shriek of panic from the sow cowering in the corner, while Doug stood in the centre of the room with an expressionless face and holding both of his hooves up.

"MCB! On your knees, the pair of you!" Jack shouted, already having a fresh tranq arrow ready to let fly. Doug complied, and the pretty pig followed suit, "Patel, Rivers, check and clear all the rooms down here."

"Sir." the two agents replied, in unison, before branching off and checking every inch of the basement for more enemies. Thirty seconds later, shouts of "Clear." echoed through the basement, but the basement wasn't completely checked. There was a locked door behind Doug that had not been checked. Jack took off his goggles and shouted, "Everyone take their goggles off and put the lights back on, Jenkins, then head down here."

Within five seconds, the dark basement of the bakery was filled with artificial light once more. Jack, along with the three other agents, looked smug as they saw both mammals on their knees with the shopping bag full of files beside Doug. "Doug Ramses, there's some folks at the ZPD who'd like to 'meet' with you." Jack smirked, placing his bow back into the custom made holster on his quiver.

"You're making a big mistake, rabbit." Doug replied in a monotone voice, as Jenkins made his way down the stairs.

"What's behind that door?" Jack probed Doug, pointing at the heavily fortified metal door.

"The pantry," Doug answered blankly.

"Pantry? With all those locks?" Jack scoffed, kneeling next to the beaver and throwing away his gun and removed his keys to his motocross bike, just to be safe, and stuffing them in one of his pockets.

"It's not a pantry!" the sow cried.

"Shut up." Doug instructed in a cold voice.

"Savage, look at her ankle," Jenkins pointed out with a sad voice.

Jack looked at the pig's ankle and could see a rather crude looking tracking device strapped to her body. It was way too tight and cutting into her flesh. This was not one of the Trio compatriots, she was a prisoner. Jack saw this and felt a tug of guilt in his heart for frightening the already traumatised mammal, so he carefully stepped over and knelt so he was eye level with the attractive mammal. "My name's Jack, we're going to get you out of here, Miss." he assured her in a kind voice.

"You can't! She's watching! She's always watching!" the sow freaked.

"Bellwether can't hurt you now; just tell us your name and what's in that pantry." Jack said with gentleness.

"Hen-Wen that's my name…" the sow mumbled, but Jack's sharp ears heard it. The sow was in her early twenties and had beautiful brown eyes.

"Hen-Wen, that's a Welsh name, right?" Jack tried to be friendly.

Hen-Wen just nodded and avoided the glare of Doug, who Jenkins was aiming a gun at.

"Why are you here, Hen-Wen?" Jack asked.

"She'll hurt people if I talk." Hen-Wen sobbed, looking at the pantry door.

"Please Hen-Wen, you have to help us out here." Jack pleaded.

While everyone's focus was on the petrified pig, no one was paying attention to Doug. With a flourish, he elbowed Jenkins in the gut, making him drop his rifle, before snatching the Hyena's pistol and putting one arm around his neck, whilst aiming the gun at the canine's head, "Well, this had been entertaining, but I have to go." Doug said with unusual calmness.

All the remaining MCB agents aimed their weapons at the ruthless ram, "Drop the gun now, Ramses!" Patel spat.

"Not happening. If you follow me, I’ll kill this pred, you hear? You stay down here." Doug instructed with a monotone voice.

"Shoot this prick!" Jenkins growled, struggling in the grasp of the ram as he was led up the stairs until he was out of sight.

"Doug has to make a delivery." the trauma stricken Hen-Wen mumbled, but Jack's acute lapin ears heard it clearly.

"What do you mean ‘delivery’, Hen-Wen?" Jack asked, assuming this was a code for something nefarious.

"Donuts mean payoff, croissants mean intimidation, and baguettes mean someone's about to get whacked. Doug has a baguette delivery at the opera house." Hen-Wen explained with a trembling voice.

"Who's the delivery for?" Jack asked, pondering with pace who could be in the crosshairs.

"Trevor Moon, someone ordered a baguette especially for him…" Hen-Wen uttered.

"What?!" Jack gasped. The potential mayor was about to be gunned down. Jack went to reach for his radio, but his action was halted by the sound of a gunshot from up above, startling everyone.

"Jenkins!" Rivers bellowed with grief, starting to head up the stairs, but Jack halted her.

"Stay and protect Hen-Wen, I'll take care of Doug!" Jack yelled, running up the staircase with his bow ready to fire, but was met with the gruesome scene of Jenkins' fresh corpse on the ground, with parts of his brain and skull fragments strewn on the floor of the bakery. Jack heard the ignition of a car and raced outside to the parking lot to see Doug's silver Range Rover skidding out onto the stormy streets of the Meadowlands with a spray of rain in his wake. Jack rushed out into the middle of the road, drew his pistol, and quickly fired six shots at the tires of the SUV, but failed to hit his mark. He scrunched up his face for a moment, as another bolt of lightning lit up the sky, trying to figure out his next move. He quickly remembered the motocross keys he had in his pocket. He holstered his weapons, grabbed the keys from his pocket and ran to one of the bikes, hoping he had straddled the right one. He put the key in the ignition and the engine burst to life. Jack revved the engine before racing off down the rainy street in pursuit of Doug on the sports motorcycle, certain of the fact that if Doug reached the opera house, he would most certainly kill Trevor Moon.


	29. Wins and losses

** Chapter 29- Wins and Losses **

Jack heard the ignition of a car and raced outside to the parking lot to see Doug's silver Range Rover skidding out onto the stormy streets of the Meadowlands with a spray of rain in his wake. Jack rushed out into the middle of the road, drew his pistol, and quickly fired six shots at the tires of the SUV, but failed to hit his mark. He scrunched up his face for a moment as another bolt of lightning lit up the sky, trying to figure out his next move. He quickly remembered the motocross keys he had in his pocket. He holstered his weapons, grabbed the keys from his pocket, and ran to one of the bikes, hoping he had straddled the right one. He put the key in the ignition and the engine burst to life. Jack revved the engine before racing off down the rainy street in pursuit of Doug on the sports motorcycle, certain of the fact that if Doug reached the opera house. he would most certainly kill Trevor Moon.

The rain lashed against Jack and the bike as he sped down the road, weaving between cars and vans to the sounds of horns and rumbling thunder. A lot of spray was being kicked up from the road by the vehicles, making visibility poor but, luckily for Jack, the silver SUV was easy to spot due to the erratic driving of assassin. "Savage to base, I am in pursuit of Ramses; suspect has killed Jenkins and is en route to the Meadowlands opera house in a silver Range Rover, plate number 21DJJ87."

"Jenkins is dead?! Jack, where's the rest of the team?" Skye asked hastily, breaching radio protocol.

"There with a civilian kept captive at the bakery. The trio's goons were guarding her and a sealed room; they must be the key to cracking this case." Jack theorised, whilst narrowly dodging a hatchback, still in pursuit of Doug.

"Skippy, why is Ramses going to the opera house?" Nick's voice butted in on his comms.

"Nick? I thought you were in Bunny Burrow." Jack asked coolly, his nerves steady during the high speed chase.

"Never mind that; why is Doug heading there?!" Nick forced.

"The captive said that he has an assassination order to complete, Trevor Moon has a bullet with his name on it." Jack informed, looking at his speedometer to see he was pushing 120 mph and the Range Rover was still ten metres ahead. The bike was edging closer and closer by the second. Thankfully, Doug's speed was being hampered by other traffic, which caused him to slow down his top speed.

"Get word to the ZPD, get Moon out of there. I'll deal with Doug." Jack relayed down the radio, getting closer to his target with every passing second. He pulled out his pistol once more and emptied his clip at the tires of the SUV, but they either hit the road or the bumper.

"Be careful, Jack!" Skyre stressed.

Jack didn't have the heart to tell his love of the danger he was currently in, or what he was about to do, so he just asked in an unusually unsure voice, "Skye, I've been thinking, when you get pregnant, if it's a girl, what do you think of the name Hannah?"

"What?! Why are you bringing that up now?" Skye barked, her mind flurrying with worries.

"It was just a thought, just me being soppy as usual." Jack tried to brush off, working up his courage for his next move.

"…Hannah's a beautiful name, just come home safe, Jack." Skye assured. With those words, a confident, adrenaline fuelled smile returned to the striped buck's face as he got within two feet of Doug's vehicle, he then leapt onto the back of the car to which Doug automatically swerved, trying to throw the tenacious rabbit off the back and under the tire of another driver. Jack managed to stay on and climbed up the back windscreen and onto the roof of the big silver car, the still pouring rain making the metallic surface slick and hard to keep steady on. Jack thought quickly and retrieved two arrows from his quiver and forced them into the alloy of the roof, using them as make shift climbing picks to get to the driver's end of the car, but as soon as he reached above where Doug was sitting, Jack's lapin ears picked up the unmistakeable sound of a shotgun cocking.

"Shit." Jack cursed, rolling to side to avoid the blast of buckshot that exploded from the roof, then dodged another and another until Jack had fallen onto the bonnet (Hood) of the SUV. Jack saw an oddly deadpan expression on the ram's face through the front windshield as he tossed the shotgun on the passenger seat before gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hooves, then slammed on the brakes, sending Jack hurtling forward in the air. The buck had barely any time to think; he knew if the impact of hitting the road didn't kill him; the subsequent oncoming traffic would easily crush him under their wheels. He tried not to tense up, so he let his body ragdoll so he'd have a chance of surviving. For the second time since he came back to this city, he was face to face with death. A picture of Skye flickered through his mind while waiting for gravity to do its work and send him crashing to the tarmac. When he finally did hit something, it was springy and sharp, multiple prickles pierced through the fabric of his sleeves and combat pants. Jack opened his eyes and could hardly believe that he had landed in a bramble bush at the side of the road. He let out a nervous laugh when he realised he was alive, but soon saw Doug's car race off once more. Jack hissed with pain as the sharp thorns cut him as he reached to press his comm button, "Savage to base, Ramses got away, I need picking up." Jack grunted in failure.

 

000

Nala Priderock stood in the main atrium of the opera house, listening to the regular rumbles of thunder with a fretting expression on her face. The sound of the storm even drowned out the sounds of the dozens of news crews that had gathered around the makeshift podium that had quickly been erected inside, due to the increasingly bad weather outside. Clawhauser saw this look on his partner's face and asked simply, "Everything ok, Nala?"

"I'm just worried about Kiara, she's really frightened of thunderstorms." Nala explained with a concerned voice.

"She'll be ok; she's tough like her mom." Clawhauser encouraged. "Plus, she's got Simba looking out for her, too."

"I know, I just worry, y'know?" Nala sighed, as she looked out across the crowd and gave a "Huh?" sound.

"What?" Clawhauser asked in reaction.

"Is it just me, or are we the only cops here?" Nala asked back, looking around the atrium. There were more and more mammals piling into the building now, all soaked from the rain.

Clawhauser scanned the area before nodding and saying "You're right, that's strange. Wasn't Precinct 33 supposed to be sending some of their guys over?"

"Pfft, 33 are a bunch of drips, the crime rate is so low in the Meadowlands they just sit on their butts all day." Nala dismissed. The lazy reputation of Precinct 33's officers was well known throughout the entire ZPD.

At that moment, the crowd's murmuring got louder as a rather forlorn looking Trevor Moon emerged from a side room flanked by his campaign team. He approached the podium walking tall, but his face was weighted with sadness. "Good afternoon, everyone, I must thank you for braving this awful weather and coming here today." Moon began, "I've chosen to speak at this venue because of what happened here at the pro-inter rally a few weeks ago. This campaign has brought to light the prejudice that interspecies mammals endure on a day to day basis but, at that rally, a group of mammals took a stand for what they believe in and showed the entire city that this cause was just…"

Clawhauser's focus on the speech was interrupted by the vibration of his smart phone. He retrieved it from his pocket and looked at who was calling 'Mason Calling' was shown up on screen, he swiped the answer icon on the touchscreen and greeted in a hushed voice, "Babe?"

" _Benjamin! Has Trevor Moon started his speech yet?"_ Bogo asked in a stern voice.

"Uh yeah, he just started." Clawhauser answered, puzzled by his boyfriend's odd tone.

" _You need to get him out of there; a gunman is going kill him!"_ Bogo informed with urgency.

"Wait, what?!" Nala quietly exclaimed, overhearing the chief's words.

" _Priderock,   be on the lookout for a white wooled ram in his mid thirties. Clawhauser, get Moon to safety."_ Bogo instructed. Nala's eyes were scouting out the room and she could already see at least a half a dozen white rams. Sheep were one of the most common species in the city, after all.

"Wait, why'd didn't you radio us? And where are the other cops?" Clawhauser asked, perplexed by this information.

" _The MCB have just given me this info, and the ZPD has been compromised, just trust me on this; Get Moon out of there!"_ Bogo plead.

"You got it; we'll get him to Precinct 1." Clawhauser promised.

" _Be careful, both of you. Ben, I love you."_ Bogo signed off.

"Love you, too." Clawhauser ended the call before he shared a silent nod with Nala, both of them then heading in different directions, with Clawhauser walking around the crowd to get to Moon, while Nala began wading through the large crowd of mammals and began to assess each of the sheep. A thought came into her head and she started to eliminate the rams without media equipment, such as cameras and Dictaphones, leaving only two without. The question was, which one was the gunman?

Oblivious to the danger he was in, Moon continued his speech, the sixty something wolf looked like he was on the verge of tears, "I've always stood up for what I believe in, to never accept hate and discrimination as just the order of things but to believe that we as mammals can accept diversity and become something better that our primitive ancestors…I've felt so much joy during my campaign, seeing inter couples coming out, unafraid, minds being opened and divisions disappearing, but now I'm afraid my joy has ended. I want to be mayor, please don't doubt that, but if the road to becoming your mayor means I must sacrifice my ideals, then you will be cheated out of an honest-"

Moon was cut off by Clawhauser putting a paw on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, sir, but you're going to have to follow me." the cheetah said quickly, this scene causing confusion among the reporters.

Nala then spotted one of the rams shoving his way to the front of the crowd with haste. Nala followed suit and started barging past reporters while saying "ZPD, coming through, sorry."

Back at the podium, Moon was refusing to move, "I'm sorry, Officer, just let me finish my speech, this is really important." the politician said.

"Sir, there is a serious threat against your life." Clawhauser whispered into Moon's ear.

Nala was closing in on the sheep, less than five feet away. He was reaching into his jacket with one hoof, her gut telling her the assassin was reaching for a gun and there was no way she could reach him in time through the crowd, so she roared at the top of her lungs, "CLAWHAUSER, LOOK OUT!"

The shout alerted everyone, not just Clawhauser. He instantly looked forward to see a ram aiming a pistol at Moon. It all happened in a blur as Doug pulled the trigger and Clawhauser darted in front of Moon. The first shot went into Clawhauser's shoulder, causing him to shriek a very feline like cry. He tried to stay steady on his feet, but Doug fired off another shot that went into Moon's gut. As the crowd panicked and scrambled, Nala pounced on the back of Doug and sent him crashing into the marble flooring. She slashed at the hoof holding the pistol with a spare claw, causing the ram to drop the gun, she then forced Doug into a restraining position which, due to her superior size and strength, was easy. Nala looked up to see the wounded Clawhauser already kneeling beside the more seriously injured Moon, with his campaign staff already calling for an ambulance with a barrage of flashes from the cameras capturing the grim scene.

000

Hen-Wen Thomas was at a loss in regards to her emotions at this moment. She hadn't seen this many people at once in years; 4 years 2 months and 16 days, to be exact, and she felt like she was in a very vivid dream. The Yak MCB Agent Rivers had gotten Hen-Wen a chair to sit on, whilst the paramedics (EMTs) checked her over. They had tried to encourage the haunted hog upstairs and into the ambulance, but she had flat out refused, stating that, "She would know." The same thing happened when the paramedics tried to remove the tracking device on her ankle.

Whilst Hen-Wen was being tended to, Skye, Judy, Nick and a very wet Jack Savage were standing in the basement, staring at the very secure locked door of 'The Pantry'. Nick was on his phone, finishing a conversation, "Alright, Chief, yeah, you take of Spots, y'hear?"

"Is Clawhauser ok?" Judy asked in a fretting manner.

"He'll be fine, just a flesh wound. Moon, on the other hand, is in emergency surgery, it's fifty-fifty they say." Nick answered, sounding defeated.

"I should've stopped him." Jack snarled at himself.

"You did the best you could," Skye comforted "besides, you got the word out that Moon was in danger."

"I'm just glad Robin went back home to check on Luna, if he was here he'd just gloat about how he should've been part of the operation." Jack figured.

"Sounds like my old man." Nick half laughed.

"So, now for the next problem, this door," Judy huffed, crossing her arms and looking at the overly elaborate security mechanisms, "If there's evidence behind it, we can't ram or blast our way in."

"Maybe we should ask her." Nick suggested, motioning towards Hen-Wen.

"She's been through enough already without us forcing our questions on her." Skye sympathised.

"Well, I'm not waiting around, lives are at risk here." Judy dismissed Skye's words and went over to the fragile mammal.

"Judy, wait." Jack protested, but the other rabbit ignored him.

Judy whispered to the camel paramedic "Can you give us a sec?"

The camel nodded in conformation and went about putting the medical equipment back in his bag. Judy looked at the jittery mammal before her and spoke softly, "Hi there, my name's Judy. I'm a police officer."

"I-I know, Buttercup talks about you a lot." Hen-Wen mumbled, looking down at her trotters. "She doesn't like you very much."

"Well, that's an understatement." Judy commented, getting a good look at Hen-Wen's face.  This sow was a similar age to herself, "How old are you?"

"I'm 23." Hen-Wen answered simply.

"Why did Bellwether keep you here?" Judy asked.

"I…I can't t-tell you, she'll know." Hen-Wen stammered.

"You're safe now; we won't let anyone hurt you." Judy eased.

"Please, I don't…" Hen-Wen's voice trailed off, looking increasingly distressed.

"Ok, Carrots, leave her be." Nick advised, putting a paw on Judy's shoulder

Judy shrugged off Nick's paw and pressured, "She threatened your family didn't she? If you leave this place, she'll hurt them?"

"…Yes." Hen-Wen revealed, "I was Buttercup's intern, but I figured out what she was doing. I was going to go to the cops, but she found out. Now I'm trapped here, managing her secrets."

"Listen, Bellwether has threatened my loved ones too. but if you help us now, we can bring her down, then she won't be able to hurt anyone ever again." Judy persuaded.

Hen-Wen was quiet for a moment before replying, "The MCB can protect my family, right?"

"We will, just give us their details and we'll put a protection team on them." Skye concurred.

Hen-Wen then took a deep breath, stood up, and stepped over to the security panel beside the door and typed in a nine digit combination. There was click, and a small portion of the wall slid to the side revealing two more security systems; a retina scanner and a microphone. She positioned herself so that her eye could be scanned, then spoke into the microphone, "Hen-Wen Thomas." A loud clunk could then be heard and the door to the pantry opened slightly.

Jack was the first to pull it open and was met with something he did not expect; a large room filled with full bookshelves, filing cabinets and a small desk in the centre, with some files scattered on top of it. "What the?" Jack mumbled.

"This is how Buttercup controls the city; this is where she keeps all her secrets and blackmail material on everyone. She put me here as punishment for snooping. She said if I was so obsessed with secrets, I could know them all." Hen-Wen explained, with tears in her blue eyes.

Skye went over to Hen-Wen and said, in a kind voice, "Thank you, Hen-Wen, we're going to make sure your family is safe." Skye then signalled Patel to come over and take care of the traumatised mammal.

Nick walked into the pantry and skimmed over the contents names on the cabinets, "ZPD, Prison service, Zootopia mental health organisation, MCB, damn she's got dirt on everyone." he commented, as Judy was looking around the desk for any incriminating evidence.

"So this is why Marian could never hack into Buttercup's info store, you can't hack paper," Skye opened a random cabinet and pulled out a file and a DVD marked 'Fabine Rowley sex tape', "its all physical copies, nothing digital."

"We can finally find out who's behind the leaks in the MCB." Jack said in psyched up voice, heading to the cabinet marked MCB, with Nick and Skye joining him.

In the corner of Nick's eye, he saw Judy heading out of the pantry. He simply asked, "Carrots?"

"I just need to go to the bathroom." Judy answered, before exiting the pantry. Judy then casually walked by the dozens of MCB agents and entered the bakery's staff toilet, she then hastily locked the door and pulled out a file from the inside of her jacket. On the front it said, 'Trevor Moon'. The instant she saw the file on the desk, she had swiped it while the others weren't looking. She didn't know why she did it, it was just a cop hunch. If the contents were bad, she would show it to the others, but if not…well, she hadn't decided yet. Judy opened the file and quickly scanned the papers within, her heart rate picking up while she was reading. She started to connect the dots, ‘ _This is why he was holding the press conference, to confess, Bellwether had him on a leash with this tragedy, oh sweet cheese and crackers, he was going to sacrifice himself and expose the Trio.’_ Judy closed the file and stuffed it back into her jacket, hoping she could make it to the local hospital before Trevor Moon uttered his confession.

000

The Mother of Mercy hospital in the Meadowlands was usually the quietest hospital in the city; the Meadowlands had the lowest population of any district, thus resulting in fewer patients. However, tonight, the parking lot of the modest hospital was packed with MCB vans, cop cars and TV trucks, all of them here because Trevor Moon was inside. Bogo had arrived as fast as he could when he heard Clawhauser had been shot, making sure to pick up Benjamin's dad Noah along the way. The cape buffalo was in tears as he charged into the ER looking for Clawhauser with an equally upset Noah in tow. Luckily, Nala was there to meet them and brought them into the bay where the cheetah was being treated. Nala pulled back the curtain to reveal Clawhauser, sitting on the bed, with his arm in a sling and chewing on a candy bar from the vending machine, seemingly fine. Bogo and Noah both embraced the injured cop with cries of happiness and relief.

Nala decided to leave them to it and, briefly, requested to the Chief if she could personally guard Trevor Moon as he recovered, to which Bogo agreed. Nala made her way to the surgical recovery unit and was disgusted to discover that Moon was not under police guard already. She cursed under her breath that Precinct 33 were f**king useless and went into Moon's private room where a Horse nurse was monitoring him. Moon was sleeping, and was connected to multiple drips and machines. The surgery had been a success, despite being touch and go for a while, but the bullet had embedded itself in the wolf's intestines, causing a lot of damage, but the surgical team had managed to save his life.

An hour past and Nala was playing on her smartphone, when Moon stirred from his drug induced slumber, "Where?" Moon mumbled, his voice raspy.

"Mr. Moon?" Nala responded, going to his bedside, "You're in the hospital sir, you were shot."

"Officer Priderock," Moon breathed, "is your partner ok?"

"He's fine; he's with his boyfriend as we speak." Nala assured.

"I should've known this would happen." Moon winced, shuffling slightly in the bed.

"The mammal who shot you is a wanted criminal, don't worry, he'll being going away for a long time." Nala informed.

"It doesn't matter; they'll send more assassins after me until I'm silenced." Moon said, looking tense.

"What do you mean?" Nala asked, puzzled by the official's words.

"Professor Rattigan, Madame Missdadd and Bellwether, they want me to keep my mouth shut." Moon answered, looking guilty.

"You're mistaken, sir, Dawn Bellwether's in prison." Nala spoke, wondering what meds were making him say this.

"No, she's not, I saw her kill Perry Flynn two weeks ago." Moon dropped a bombshell.

"What?!" Nala gasped, loudly.

"Listen, I'll explain everything, but you have to do something for me first." Moon insisted.

"Uh, sure," Nala agreed despite being confused.

"I need you to arrest me." Moon said, with a straight face.

"You've lost me," Nala replied with a screwed up face, "Listen, I think the morphine's kicking in Mr. Moon, you should just rest."

"I helped my husband commit suicide." Moon revealed, with tears forming in his eyes.

Nala was shook by this revelation. By instinct, she put her paw atop of Moon's and calmly replied, "Tell me what happened."

"Liam was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few days before his fiftieth birthday. I was so scared for him, but he just kept on smiling no matter how bad he got. For a decade, he lived with that damn disease and my heart broke as I saw him get weaker and weaker. When gay marriage was finally legalised, he walked up the aisle with crutches, but we were only married a few years until he got really bad." Moon poured out his heart, tears now streaming down the tan fur of his cheeks.

"Trevor…" Nala uttered, feeling like crying herself.

"He was in and out of hospital all the time; pneumonia, chronic pain, infections, it was always something, he never got any reprieve. He was so weak at the end, so tired of the pain, he could barely move anymore, confined to a hospital bed and always in agony. That's when he asked me to help him die, to end his pain." Moon confessed, with a sob, "I loved him so much, but I couldn't refuse him. He was alive but, he wasn't living, only suffering, I went to a friend who worked at the coroner's office and I explained what I was planning. She agreed to help me. She gave me a list of drugs that would end Liam's life quickly and painlessly, and she would cover up any wrong doing in the autopsy report. I said my goodbyes to Liam that night and…"

"He passed away." Nala finished, unable to stop herself from crying.

"Bellwether knows what I did, she’s using it to blackmail me to control city hall, but I can't let her or the others win, Liam would be ashamed of me." Moon sniffed, "Now, please Officer Priderock, arrest me."

"Ok…" Nala agreed, wiping away some tears, "for what it's worth I would've done the same thing if my Simba was suffering. You're still a good mammal, Trevor."

Suddenly, the door burst open. Nala went to reach for her tranq pistol, but was relieved to see a very out of breath Judy in the doorway, "Nala, thank god it's you." she panted.

"Judy, um, maybe you should come back later." Nala replied, unsure of how to explain the current situation.

Judy looked at Nala and Moon's teary expressions, and theorised out loud, "You already confessed."

"What? How did-" Nala didn't even get to finish her question.

Judy produced the file from her jacket, "This is Bellwether's dirt on you, it's the only copy." she informed, passing the file to Nala, who hastily started reading it.

"What?" Moon mumbled, hardly believing his ears.

"The MCB just raided one of her hideouts, and all of the information she's been hoarding is in the hands of the authorities now, except that autopsy report, I snuck it out before anyone else could read it." Judy explained, feeling sure Nala would overlook this crime.

"So, what now?" Moon asked Nala, fully prepared to face the consequences of his action.

Nala responded by extending her claws and tearing the report to shreds, before saying, "Liam Moon died naturally from MS."

"Thank you…" Moon began crying once again.

000

It didn't take long for Nick and the others to realise Judy had left the bakery. When Nick had phoned her, she partially lied and said she was worried about Moon and Clawhauser and wanted to check in on them. Skye then asked Judy to gather Bogo, Clawhauser and Nala together and bring them back to the bakery; it was time to clue them in to what was really happening in Zootopia. And so, Skye explained everything; the Underworld trio, the partnership with the M.M. gang and who they were, and the corruption in both the ZPD and MCB. When it was all revealed, all Bogo could say was, "Shit."

"No kidding." Nick sighed.

"So, you're Mom and Dad are members of the M.M. gang?" Nala gawped in disbelief.

"Yeah," Nick confirmed with an awkward grin.

"If everything is under the trio's control, who can we trust?" Clawhauser lamented, fixing his sling.

"That's part of the reason I called you three here. I need mammals I can trust for our next move." Skye spoke up, "Although Clawhauser, I think you'll be on the bench for this one."

"So, what is our next move?" Nala inquired, sounding confident.

"We searched the pantry and finally found out what the trio's been using under Sherwood," Jack rolled out a large map onto the floor and weighed it down with a couple of cans of beans, "they're using a cold war bunker that was built back in the sixties."

"For what?" Judy pondered.

"No idea but, if I had to bet, I'd say it's got something to do with Morrigan production." Jack guessed.

"Let me guess, we're raiding this place?" Bogo asked with a grunt.

"Yes, there are three entrances, so we're going to need three strike teams to take them down." Skye proposed, "Bogo, I have a squad of twenty two MCB agents I trust, how many honest cops can you muster for a raid at midnight?"

"I trust all my officers in my precinct. I can give you thirty or so with SWAT experience. Priderock, Wilde, are you up for this?" Bogo asked, knowing the two cops would agree.

"Yes sir." Nala nodded.

"Count me in, Chief." Nick added.

"Wait, sir, I can help, too." Judy spoke up, a little surprised she had been left out.

"You're still on sick leave, Hopps." Bogo stated.

"My wrist is fine, I can do this." Judy countered, holding up her left paw to show it was cast-less.

"Is that so?" Bogo mused, before quickly grabbing a small tin of chocolate frosting off a shelf and tossing it to Judy.

Judy caught it with her outstretched left paw and hissed in pain, her wrist was still not completely healed, "Damn it." Judy exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, Hopps, but I need all of my officers at 100%, lives are at risk, and we can't risk you jeopardising anyone." Bogo gave his reasoning.

"Nick, help me out here, you know I can do this." Judy pleaded.

"Fluff…" Nick simply sighed.

"You agree with him?" Judy snapped, "I don't believe this." Before turning on her heel and storming up the stairs.

"Carrots, wait," Nick called after her, following the agitated bunny. Nick finally caught up with her in the parking lot of the bakery where she was pulling out her keys for the Audi from her pocket. "Come on, don't be mad, we just don't want you getting hurt."

"We finally have a chance to bring down the trio, and you expect me to just sit back and watch?" Judy griped. The clouds had cleared from the storm earlier and were replaced by a clear sky ablaze with a sunset.

"If your wrist wasn't an issue, you'd be on this raid, you know that." Nick tried to sway his love as she opened the driver's door and got into the seat.

"You know how much this case means to me," Judy barked, closing the car door, "and you didn't even stand up for your partner."

"Because Bogo is right," Nick replied.

Judy just scowled at Nick before saying bitterly, "I'll see you at home." she then started the engine.

"Carrots, please," Nick groaned, knowing he wouldn't win this battle.

"I'm going to pick up Luna." Judy stated, before driving off, leaving a very guilt tripped Nick alone in the parking lot.

000

Judy had held onto her anger the whole drive to Sherwood. By the time she pulled up at Marian's house, she was ready to vent to the vixen over a cup a tea. She got to the porch though, and that anger soon vanished and was replaced with dread. The front door was slightly ajar and blood was dripping from the doorknob, "No…" Judy whispered, before racing into the house to be met with a horrific sight. In the hallway were the severed heads of four mammals, Judy recognised them as the MCB agents assigned to protect Luna. She vomited at the gore before calling out, "Luna!" Before she could take a step to search the house, her phone began to ring. She quickly retrieved it and saw, 'Marian Calling' on the screen. She swiped the screen and pressed the phone to her ear with speed, "Marian, where are you? Where's Luna?" she asked with fear tinting her voice.

" _Oh, don't worry, they're all safe and sound."_  a chilling voice taunted down the phone.

"Bellwether," Judy gritted her teeth.

" _I have to say, I was surprised to find the M.M. gang protecting Luna,"_ Bellwether chuckled, " _but it makes so much sense now, Wilde is the son of the Hood and that crazy bitch with the sticks."_

"Let me speak to Luna!" Judy demanded.

" _Judy, help!"_  Luna's voice shrilled.

"Luna!" Judy gasped, "Let her go, it's me you want!"

" _Exactly,"_ Dawn sniggered " _I told you what would happen if you disappointed me, and not even three hours after our chat, I see surveillance footage of you in my pantry! You forced my hand, Judy."_

"What do you want?" Judy forced.

" _A fight,"_  Dawn cackled.

"What?" Judy replied with confusion.

" _I want you to come to Sherwood Haulage yard by 9pm, alone, and fight me. Be warned, you're going have to get through my lackeys first, so bring your A game and some bullets. If you involve the ZPD or the MCB, I'll kill Luna and the M.M. gang."_  Dawn proposed, " _If you make it to me, I'll give you the chance to save your preds."_

"You've lost it." Judy spat.

" _Debatable, but I promise these predators will die if you don't obey me. So, what's it going to be, Judy?"_ Dawn threatened.

"I'll be there." Judy answered with snarl, before ending the call and running for her car with one thought screaming in her mind, ‘ _I'm going to kill Dawn Bellwether!’_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ DUN DUN DUN! The Underworld Trio has Luna and the M.M. gang! What did you guys think? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Next time on Take a Stand, Judy enlists the help of an old friend, the raid begins, the Underworld trio tears itself apart and Bellwether gives Judy a horrible choice to make. Please Review and c ya soon...)


	30. The last hustle

** Chapter 30- The Last Hustle **

Padraic Rattigan was trying to remain calm, to display a face of confidence at this trying time and yet, his usually combed fur looked ruffled, and his yellow eyes were narrowed and were simmering with anger. Felicia, who was driving the Benz, pulled into the familiar surroundings of Misdaad's mansion in the Meadowlands suburbs and could already see that the Zebra had gotten the news about Buttercup's bakery being raided and the failed hit on Trevor Moon; Rattigan could see through the car window that some of Misdaad's henchmen were already putting her bags in a car. Felicia stopped the Benz, got out, opened the passenger door and let Rattigan step out onto her paws. Madame Misdadd emerged from the house dressed not in a stylish dress, for once, but in fitness attire. "Bahati," Rattigan called out, "I trust you've heard the news."

"Padraic, thank god it's you, have you seen Dawn?" Misdadd asked, sounding relieved to see the fellow mobster.

"Not a sign of her. If she's as smart as she thinks she is, she would've gotten the quickest flight out of the country." Rattigan noted.

"Oh, I know where that little harpy is, I was just hoping you hadn't killed her yet." Misdadd replied with an acid tongue.

"Kill her?" Rattigan pondered out loud.

"That nut job broke her promise to us. She's targeted that Bunny and Fox, and she was an idiot to put that assassination contract on Moon. She's the reason everything's gone to shit!" Misdadd shrilled.

"What exactly is going on?" Rattigan asked, his friend's words were confounding.

"I bugged her phone after the killing that of bunny whore, that little psychopath took thirty of my men and kidnapped Nick Wilde's family, killing four MCB agents in the process. She's in the Sherwood bunker, planning some crazy last stand. She just got off the phone with Hopps, telling her exactly where the entrance to the Morrigan factory is so she can come and have a shootout." Misdadd explained, her tone sharp.

"All the more reason for us to get out of here as soon as possible," Rattigan replied, with haste, wanting to leave the city quickly, "if you've made no arrangements, please feel free to hitch a ride with me to Antigua."

"Thank you for the offer, old friend, but I have some business to take care of first." Misdadd answered, walking to the front of her jeep and clambering in.

"What could be more important than getting to safety?" Rattigan asked with insistence.

"Slaughtering that sheep, that's what." Misdadd responded with a fiery look in her eyes.

"But, that place will be swarming with police in a matter of hours, if not already, it's too risky." Rattigan scoffed.

"I have worked for over twenty years to build that drug lab, and you expect me to let that four eyed freak to get away with destroying our empire?" The Zebra gave a very predatory bark.

"Our ties in Europe can keep our alliance afloat; we have enough money hidden away to live like royalty for years to come, don't let your pride be your downfall." Rattigan urged. "Come with me, please."

"I can't, Padraic, I'm sorry." Misdadd said solemnly, "I wish you luck, Professor, you were the only one who truly understood me."

The jeep then sped out of the mansion grounds, leaving a saddened rat behind. The gangster watched as his best friend, most likely, went to her doom. He took a deep breath, and then spoke to his wildcat henchwoman, "To the airfield Felicia, post-haste."

000

Finnick had become paranoid ever since the massacre at the cemetery. He had convinced Fru Fru to let him install security cameras all over the Big estate, and would spend at least three hours a day staring at the monitors situated in one of the small rooms of the very big mansion. Most of the Bigs' family enterprises now were legitimised, the only illegal activities they dealt in now were arms dealing and stolen cars. When Mr Big had been alive, and a lot younger, he had his ties to drugs and vice, but time and events had reshaped the criminal syndicate. Yes, the Big syndicate's home base was Tundra Town, but the old shrew always insisted on doing 'business' outside the city limits, to make sure no innocent mammals were caught in the crossfire. And now game had changed once again. With the old man gone, after all of Big's hard work to rid Tundra Town of drugs, Morrigan dealers were popping up all over the snow covered streets. Finnick enjoyed teaching these punks a lesson with his favourite baseball bat, and Fru Fru made sure to 'ice' any repeat transgressors. Finnick reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a gold plated lighter with an 'F' engraved on it. He slid a cig between his lips, and was about to light it, when he heard an angry squeak, "Don't you even think about it, mister."

Finnick turned in his seat and looked to see his tiny boss, Fru Fru, in the doorway, with her paws on her hips and a cross expression on her face, "Hey boss." Finnick responded nervously, putting the cigarette back in its deck.

"Don't you ‘hey Boss’ me, you know the rules about smoking in the house. I have a toddler running all over the place, and you're spreading that poison around." Fru Fru berated. "And Gino has asthma; I don't want you sending my hubby to the ER with chest problems."

"Ok ok, I'm sorry." Finnick apologised, holding up his paws.

"You've been in here for hours, what's wrong?" Fru Fru asked, noticing the three empty coffee mugs on his desk.

"Ugh, just on edge. With that old wolf Moon nearly getting whacked today, it makes me think the Trio is on the offensive again, so it's got me nervous, y'know?" Finnick answered the question with another question.

"Look, you don't need to worry so much, we've locked this place up tighter than Fort Knox, besides the MCB and M.M. gang are taking care of the trio." Fru Fru tried to allay her old friend's fears.

Finnick was about to reply with an 'I guess', but saw a familiar red Audi drive up to the mansion entrance. He could see from the CCTV footage that it was Judy driving, and she looked pissed off. He grabbed the radio and ordered the polar bear guards, "Yo, boys, let her in.", while wondering two things; what had the rabbit so rabid, and where was Nick?

Finnick picked up Fru Fru and headed towards the front door of the mansion, but before they even reached it, Kevin was opening the door and Judy came charging in with a face like thunder. "I need guns!" the bunny cop declared in a vexed voice.

"What?" Finnick mumbled while letting Fru Fru stand on his outstretched paws.

"Judy, what's wrong?" Fru Fru asked, noticing her friend's anguish behind the anger.

"The Underworld trio, they got Luna, Marian, Robin and Little John." Judy rambled, pulling on her long ears with frustration.

"Those sons of bitches," Finnick snarled.

"What exactly happened?" Fru Fru inquired, keeping a level head, much like her father would in a time of crisis.

"The MCB and the cops are about to raid a bunker in Sherwood, it's their Morrigan factory, but Bellwether knew I was with the MCB today and she's taken…." Judy started to explain, but then choked on her words from distress.

"Ok, ok. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we should call the police." Finnick advised.

"No!" Judy reacted, "Bellwether said if I contacted the ZPD or Skye, she'll kill all of them."

"What does she want?" Fru Fru questioned.

"A fight," Judy replied coldly, "and I'm going to give her one. She wants me at Sherwood Haulage by 9pm or she'll kill Luna and the others. She wants me to fight through her guards and spring her trap."

"She's playing you." Finnick commented.

"Yeah, no shit," Judy gave a rare curse, "but lives are on the line, so I'm going to have to do this."

"We'll help you, that ewe didn't say anything about involving the Big syndicate." Fru Fru offered.

"I really appreciate it, but if a large group of your guys are there when the feds and the ZPD show up, they'll either be killed or arrested." Judy contested.

"Then let me come, just me." Finnick volunteered in a determined voice.

"Finnick," Judy spoke, impressed by the desert fox's bravery, "are you sure about this?"

"Marian always treated me like a son; she'd whoop my ass if I stepped out of line, she'd take care of me when my dad went on a bender, and there was always room at the dinner table for a thug like me. There ain't no way I'm backing down from this." Finnick stated.

"Thank you." Judy said sincerely.

"Right, let's get you armed up." Fru Fru proposed with a serious tone.

Five minutes later, the three mammals were in the armoury, situated in the basement of the mansion. Judy had only limited training with lethal weapons at the academy, seeing as it was more of a SWAT speciality, but there was one gun she was used to; a shotgun. You don't grow up on a farm for years without learning how to shoot crows off of the crops. Judy selected a combat shotgun for a mammal her size, and proceeded to load it with shells, as well as two ammo pouches full of buckshot shells, although Finnick commented that if she fired that gun, the recoil would knock her on her butt, but Judy replied that she was stronger than she looked. Fru Fru, who had a surprisingly extraordinary knowledge of firearms, also suggested Judy should carry a sidearm; a snub nosed revolver on a waist holster was put on her belt. The bunny also selected a hunting knife, just in case.

"Ok, so, when's Nick getting here?" Finnick asked, checking his small machine pistol.

"He's not." Judy replied bluntly.

"Say what?" Finnick snapped.

"You haven't told him?" Fru Fru assumed, sounding disappointed.

"Look, Bellwether said if I involve the ZPD, its game over. Nick's with the Chief as we speak, preparing for a raid and, if I tell him, he'll enlist Bogo to help rescue Luna." Judy reasoned, sounding upset.

"It's his family at risk, Judy; you can't keep this from him." Fru Fru stated.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? Bellwether will KILL all of them if I involve the ZPD, or the bureau." Judy enforced.

"How will she know? Has she got your phones tapped?" Fru Fru pressured, trying to make her friend see reason.

"…No, Skye had her guys check our phones." Judy answered bitterly, but honestly, "But the Underworld trio has eyes and ears everywhere."

"But the new task force is different. Look, just call Nick, clue him in. That limp noodle could actually help." Finnick argued.

"But…" Judy tried to come up with a response, but her voice failed her, she then realised it was fear holding her back from telling Nick. She was scared of the tiniest possibility that Bellwether might follow through on her dark promise. However, the simple fact was that if Judy and Finnick went into the haulage yard on their own, they would most likely be dead within five minutes.

"Judy, you know it's the right thing to do." Fru Fru persuaded.

Judy groused a, "Damn it.", before retrieving her smart phone and selecting Nick's number.

"Wait a sec," Finnick grinned, devilishly "I got a hustle in my head that Nick's going to love."

000

While Skye, Jack and Bogo were busy formulating a plan of attack in the bullpen of Precinct 1. Nick was in the corner of the room and kept looking at his phone, more specifically the lock screen wallpaper that was of Judy and Luna hugging and smiling. He felt ashamed for not standing up for Judy, but the logical sector of his mind told him it was the right thing for her to sit this one out due to her injury…and her grudge against Bellwether. Nick didn't want to mention it, but since Bellwether's surprise appearance at the station earlier in the day, Judy had become focused on bringing the evil ewe down, going so far as to harass and pressure Hen-Wen into opening the pantry. He was worried about his lover and this obsession over her nemesis. Yes, the former mayor had threatened the life of his daughter, but the red fox was more concerned about his baby girl's wellbeing than getting back at Dawn. "Hey Nick, you ok?" a sympathetic voice asked from the left.

Nick looked up to see Nala standing with two paper cups of coffee. She handed one to Nick as he replied, "I feel like the world's crappiest boyfriend actually."

"Dramatic, aren't we?" Nala teased, sitting down in a chair beside Nick.

"The way she looked at me, Rocky, she just looked betrayed." Nick revealed with a strained voice, before sipping the coffee.

"Listen, don't tell her I said this, but I think the Chief made the right call. She's not at full fitness, and it's too big a gamble." Nala said pragmatically.

"I got a feeling I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight." Nick groaned.

Nala looked at her downtrodden comrade and decided to throw him a bone, "Look, do you know why Judy went off like that?"

"Because she hates Bellwether?" Nick guessed, looking at the wallpaper on his phone once more.

"No, dumbass, it's because Bellwether threatened the two things most precious to her in the world, you and Luna." Nala informed, "Judy's always been a tough mammal, she can handle most situations, and she isn't scared of anything…apart from losing the two of you. She loves you both with all of her heart."

Nick actually felt teary eyed at that statement; the guilt now felt a lot heavier in his chest, "I love them both, too, that's why I'm doing this." Nick reasoned.

"Here's some advice; call her and just talk it out. You'll feel better for it." Nala offered her friend.

"Yeah, you're right, Nala." Nick smiled.

Nala let out a gasp, "That's the first time you've ever called me by my real name."

"One time only, Rocky," Nick winked.

"And just like that, you're a dick again." the lioness sighed, swigging her coffee.

Nick went to unlock his phone when the door to the bullpen slammed open, with Commissioner Bagheera and DA Bastille making their way through. "Bogo, what in heaven's name are you doing? Who gave you the authority to sign off on overtime for forty officers?" Bagheera questioned, in his typical condescending manner.

"Commissioner, so nice of you to join us," Bogo replied, with a smug look on his face.

"I'd wipe that smile off of your face, Chief," Bastille interjected, "you haven't applied for a warrant for this raid of yours, and you haven't shown me a scrap of evidence to authorise one."

"You too, Bastille?" Jack sniggered, he was still dressed in his tactical response gear with his bow in hand, "This day just gets better and better."

"We won't need your help on this op, gentlemammals, I got the warrant and authorisation from a federal judge, not a district one," Skye explained with an empowered voice, "just like the raid at the bakery earlier."

"What raid?" Bagheera demanded to know.

"Why, the one that exposed the reach of the information broker known as 'Buttercup'. There was such a treasure trove of evidence, so much so, I've placed one of my own agents, Guy Nottingham, under arrest on corruption charges. Turns out, he was the leak in the MCB." Skye elaborated.

Bogo saw Bastille's eyes starting to dart around, as if looking for an escape route, but before the worried wolverine could whisk himself away, Bogo signalled to Nick and Nala with a nod. The two cops caught the pair off guard as they grabbed their paws and cuffed them quickly, "Bagheera, you're under arrest for corruption charges, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…" Nala began to read the now cuffed Panther his rights, but the other cat protested.

"You can't do this, unhand me!" Bagheera yelled, struggling against his restraints.

"You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided by the state." Nala finished.

"Get this scum to the cells, Priderock." Bogo ordered with a grunt.

"Gladly, sir," Nala concurred, nodding, before dragging the corrupt cop away.

"I'm innocent! I order you to let me go!" Bagheera wailed as he was led out of the bullpen.

Bastille let out a defeated sigh, knowing it was pointless to fight, "Go on then, read me my rights." he mumbled, with tears in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I will, but first I want to know why you did it," Nick insisted, "I saw Bellwether's files on you; five mammals are serving serious jail time because you planted evidence on them for crimes they're innocent of. Why?"

"Because they were filthy inters, like you." Bastille answered with defiance.

"That's the reason?" Nick asked, flabbergasted, "That's why you ruined their lives, because you couldn't deal with who they were in love with?"

"I wanted to keep Zootopia pure, but I've failed…" Bastille lamented.

"There's one more charge," Skye reminded, "there's audio evidence of you ordering the hit on Trevor Moon, so we'll be adding attempted murder to the court docket."

"My boyfriend was hurt in that attack, I hope a jury locks you up for a long time." Bogo said coldly.

"Shame he wasn't killed, one less inter to worry about." Bastille smirked, causing Bogo's face to twist up even more with rage.

"All right, enough out of you." Nick butted in. He was about to read the disgraced DA his rights, when his phone started to vibrate. He looked to McHorn, who was chatting with Delgato, and asked, "McHorn, can you read this ass hat his rights? I gotta take this call."

"No problem." McHorn replied, taking hold of the wolverine.

Nick looked at his phone screen to see the words 'Judy Calling', and he braced himself for a tough conversation, then slid a digit across the screen to answer the call. He pressed it to his ears and greeted rather timidly, "Hey, sweetheart."

 _"Nick."_  Judy muttered, she sounded as nervous as him.

"Look, I'm sorry for not standing up for you…" Nick began.

 _"Nick; Bellwether has your family."_  Judy dropped the bombshell

"…What?" Nick mumbled, praying that he had heard her wrong.

 _"I got to your Mom's place and I found the heads of the agents assigned to watch over the place,"_  Judy explained, her voice shaky,  _"that monster rang me with your Mom's phone…oh god, Nick, I'm so sorry."_

Nick didn't realise it, but his emerald eyes were running freely with tears, "No…no,no,no." Nick repeated, his mouth dry and spare paw trembling. All of his friends around him noticed the red fox's sudden change of mood and were soon standing by his side, wanting to know what had happened. ‘ _She's got my baby girl, what is she doing to her?! Mom?! Dad?! Uncle John?! She's going to kill them!’_ Nick mind jumped to the worst possible conclusion.

 _"Listen to me, Slick; I need you to keep your head in the game. We're not going to let that bitch win! Finnick's got a crazy idea and we're going to need everyone's help."_  Judy rallied.

000

For the first time in his life Robin Loxley felt old. His joints ached, his chest hurt, and all his body wanted to do was sleep. It was only his willpower keeping him awake. The chains he had been bound with were of the highest quality, and there was no amount of experience in escapology that could help him now as he sat on the cold concrete of this bunker with the love of his life a few feet away, trying to free herself from her own chains. He then looked to the corner of the room where his old brother in arms, John Little, lay unconscious in a cage, having taken three tranq darts to the back shielding Luna. Robin just hoped his best friend could survive so much tranquiliser in his bloodstream without his heart packing it in. Robin felt so foolish; when he heard about the MCB's successful raid at the bakery he had gone home feeling victorious and confident that the Underworld trio would most likely be working on a retreat. But, overconfidence can be a mammal's worst enemy. It was John who sensed the danger first and immediately went to protect Luna as the high velocity tranq darts came flying through the window. Marian, who had kept her batons close by, started clobbering the trio's heavies the moment they burst through the kitchen door. She knocked out six of them, and it's only when three henchmen piled on her and tasered her, did she lose consciousness. Robin grabbed Luna and tried to leap out a window, but when he heard the sound of multiple guns cocking, he stood still in his tracks. There were at eight guns on him and Luna, and he couldn't risk her getting hit…it was the first ever defeat of the M.M gang.

"Lemme' go, you stinky meanie!" Luna barked. The kit was being kept in a small cage in the centre of the room, where Bellwether, who was sitting on a very out of place antique couch, with two Capybara guards with MP5 submachine guns on either side of her.

"Do you ever shut up?" Bellwether griped, taking two more Morrigan pills out of her silver case and swallowing them.

"Well, that explains a lot." Marian smarmed at her captor, "All junkies are nuts."

"Zip it, Pred," Bellwether dismissed, looking at her watch; 8.23pm, "only 37 minutes left for your bunny in shining armour to show up, or all of you will be taking a dirt nap."

"My Dad and Judy are going to kick your butt!" Luna shouted, shaking the bars of her cage.

"I thought I told you to shut up, Fox!" Bellwether glared at the child.

"You're just a big bully!" Luna carried on.

"Luna, hush." Robin warned, fearing what the unhinged sheep might do to his granddaughter.

"You’ve got one hell of a mouth on you, brat," Bellwether said, with mischief in her tone, as she stood up and walked over to the cage, "aren't you afraid of me?"

"My Mommy told me all Bullies are cowards!" Luna answered with an empowered voice, locking eyes with Bellwether.

"Is that so?" Bellwether sniggered, "Well you should know something about bullies, all Predators pick on prey."

"No, we don't, my best friend is a mouse!" Luna defied.

"But, haven't you ever made her feel weak, helpless, like she's not good enough?" Bellwether queried.

"Never, I love Olivia, she can do anything, and she's the bestest pupil at school." Luna replied, wondering why this mean mammal was asking such a strange question.

"Oh, to be so young, so optimistic, you don't know what the world is truly like yet, that it's pre-" Dawn began to monologue, but was interrupted by an unexpected noise.

Luna had closed her eyes and faked a loud snore; this six year old knew how to wind folks up.

"Why you little…" Dawn seethed, unlocking the cage and pulling Luna out by the scruff of her neck.

"LUNA!" Robin and Marian yelled in tandem, both of them scared out of their wits for the safety of their granddaughter.

"Please, don't hurt her…" Robin begged, as he watched the kit try to struggle from the grasp of the ewe's hooves.

" ** _BUTTERCUP!_** " an enraged voice bellowed from above. Everyone looked up to the metal walkway above them that was built into the walls of the bunker, to see Madame Misdadd, and a dozen of her henchmen, descending the stairs.

"Now what?" Dawn grumbled, still having a strong hold of Luna.

"What the hell are you playing at?!" Misdadd demanded an answer as she marched towards the much shorter herbivore, "We had a deal."

"The deal didn't suit me, so I changed it." Dawn replied nonchalantly, dragging Luna over to a vault like door with the words 'Atmosphere Testing'.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Misdadd asked with bile.

"I've brought Hopps to us." Dawn answered, spinning the wheel lock of the door and opening it before tossing Luna inside and slamming it.

"What are you doing?!" Marian screeched.

Dawn ignored the vixen as she locked the vault door, before turning around to Misdadd and grinning, "Sorry if this isn't going according to your plan."

Luna began slamming on the very thick glass pane of the 'Testing room', but her calls for help could not be heard, the room was sound proofed. Misdadd was about to signal for her henchmen to start shooting, when the odd ringtone of 'God save the Queen' by the Sex pistols could be heard throughout the room. Marian instantly recognised it as her ringtone, but Bellwether had it, so the sheep pulled the phone out of her jacket and smiled when she saw the words 'Judy Calling' on the screen; it was a video call. She swiped the answer icon, but it was not the image she was expecting; Judy Hopps was on her knees, her mouth gagged and her hands bound behind her back, with a crimson vulpine in a green tunic and hood aiming a drawn arrow at her head.

"What the hell?" Dawn gasped; Misdadd stepped around and was equally shocked to see the image.

" _Good evening, ladies,"_ the Hooded Fox greeted in an English accent, " _I believe we have some business to discuss."_

"Who in god's name are you?" Bellwether asked.

" _Surely, you've heard of the Hood?"_  the Hooded Fox charmed.

"Well, I call bullshit, because I have the Hood in chains!" Bellwether blasted.

" _Really, that weak, middle aged, piece of shit?"_ the Hood laughed, " _You think the mammal who evaded capture for nearly three decades was caught so easily? That's just a stand in I hire, now and again, to avoid detection"_

Robin was smiling on the inside, he knew it was Nick under that hood and behind that convincing British accent, but the hustler in him played up to his audience as he complained, "I'm not weak!"

"You're the real Hood?" Misdadd asked with suspicion. "So, why haven't you run yet?"

" _I'm sworn to protect the Wilde family, and that good for nothing bear Little John. Give me them and I'll give you Hopps."_ the Hood proposed.

"One life for four isn't a good deal." Bellwether replied, bitterly.

 _"How about these then?"_ the Hood offered, before motioning towards five large holdalls, unzipped and brimming with cash,  _"$500 million for the safe return of the Wildes, and you get to do whatever you like with Hopps."_

"Where'd you get that money?!" Misdadd probed, with fire in her voice.

" _Do you really think I gave all that money away to the poor? I kept a bit for myself over the years."_ the Hood bragged. " _But now, honour dictates I must get the Wildes out of danger."_

"Deal." Misdadd spoke up.

"What?!" Dawn reacted.

"It's over, Dawn, let's take the money and run." Misdadd stated, still intent on executing the ewe once the transaction was done.

"Fine…" Dawn panted, her hooves clenching "As long as I'm the one who gets to play with Hopps."

" _I'll arrive in ten minutes at the Haulage yard, I'll be in a black van."_ the Hood finalised.

000

Eight and half minutes later, a black Ford Transit van was let into Sherwood Haulage Yard, the mob boss and the information broker stood in the warehouse that hid their entrance to the cold war era bunker. Misdadd watched as the Hood pulled the van up and pushed Judy Hopps out of the passenger seat to fall flat on her face, while the vulpine vigilante produced five Holdalls and placed them in front of the mob boss before grabbing Judy by the ears and holding a knife to her throat, "Where are the Wildes and Little John?" the Hood asked, playfully.

Dawn went into an anxious state when the Hood put the knife to her nemesis' neck and immediately instructed, "Bring them out!"

From a double door gateway to the basement, three henchmen dragged out Robin, Marian and Little John respectively, along with five more heavies for extra muscle. Judy's amethyst eyes went wide with fear when she didn't see Luna among them. It's a good thing her mouth was gagged, because she would've asked after the missing kit. "Where's the kid?" the Hood asked, sounding calm.

"You can have her back, once I finish with Hopps." Dawn stipulated.

"That wasn't part of the deal! $125 million per hostage is more than fair!" the Hood reminded with a snarl.

"They’ve got her locked up in a chamber three levels down!" Robin revealed, before being butted with the handle of an assault rifle.

"Release the kit, and we can end this." the Hood proposed, drawing his bow once again and aiming it at Judy's head, "Or your plaything get's it."

"Now, now, it's only the old school gangster in me that's letting this deal come to pass, don't try my patience." Madame Misdadd smiled, feeling powerful once again.

"Well if that's the case, let me say this..OO-DI-LALLY!" the Hood proclaimed, and within seconds, it was a scene of chaos; Nick fired a tranq arrow at the henchman who had a gun on his mom and it struck him in the chest. Judy, whose wrists weren't really tied, produced a snub nosed revolver and fired a headshot at the gunman guarding Robin, killing him, before quickly removing the gag from her mouth, and then, to the villains' surprise, out of one of the cash filled bags sprung up a fennec fox firing off a machine pistol. Dawn and Misdadd made their way to the stairs in a panicked rush, while the other henchmen scrambled for cover. Nick and Finnick went over to free Robin and Marian from their bonds, while Judy raced over to another decoy cash holdall and pulled out the combat shotgun she had gotten from Fru Fru and fired off a shot that reduced a charging mountain goat's chest to a bloody mess. Judy darted behind a crate for cover and saw Misdadd and Dawn book it down the stairwell to the bunker. She grabbed her radio and relayed, "Chief, Skye, begin your raids of the second and third entrance, operation is a go!"

" _On it, Judy,"_  Skye responded.

" _Just stay alive, Hopps!"_ Bogo ordered, as Judy picked off another of the Trio's enforcer, this one a giraffe, that was way too easy of a target to miss.

Judy didn't wait for Nick to free his parents, she just bolted for the bunker entrance while shouting, "I'm going to get Luna!"

"Carrots, wait!" Nick protested, still trying to free his mother.

"Nick, go, Finnick can free us!" Marian insisted. Nick didn't need telling twice as he shot two more lackeys with sleeper arrows before running after his lady love.

Judy was a fast on her flat feet, even for a rabbit, as she descended the staircase at break neck speed following the rushed hoof steps of Bellwether and Madame Misdadd. To her amazement however, in the drop zone of the stairwell she saw Nick descending via a grapple arrow from above, "Fluff!" he signalled, and Judy perfectly timed a jump into her dumb fox's spare arm as they took the express way down to the bottom level, When they reached the bottom, two heavies with machine guns were waiting. Nick aimed his landing so both of them would be behind a concrete column, while the idiots emptied their magazines. When the hired guns ran out of ammo, Judy and Nick dispatched each of them respectively with a single shot. Judy then too hastily ran out into the main hall of the first basement level and was stunned by what she saw; an artificial farm of Night Howlers, the dangerous blue flower was growing in carefully constructed rows, ‘ _That's it, that's what Morrigan is made from! Night Howlers are the key ingredient in the drug!’,_ In her awe, she didn't notice the kangaroo to her left bounding at her, slamming her in her face with his large paws, one of them sending her crashing into the ground, Nick saw this and let loose a taser arrow into the marsupial before he could hurt the battling bunny any further, "Carrots?" Nick asked with worry, kneeling next to the floored flopsy.

Judy rose to her feet, with an annoyed grunt, her right eye already swelling and her nose was bleeding from both nostrils, "Thanks, Slick." Judy shrugged off, before spitting out one of her back teeth.

Nick was about to inquire about her wellbeing further, when Nick spotted Misdadd across the football field sized area, heading for a ladder towards an exit. He drew a taser arrow before hissing, "No, you don't." and he let the arrow fly, and it pierced the zebra in the back, causing her to convulse erratically before she fell, but not on her front, like Nick had hoped, but into a stack of Night Howler vials, the blue liquid soaking through her hair, and the mob boss let out a very equine yell. "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit," Nick dragged, realising his mistake.

Misdadd was wild eyed and thrashing around, she was on all fours and kicking her back legs in a rage. "Luna's down here, and there's a savage mammal rampaging about." Judy stated with fear, reloading her gun.

"My bad," Nick replied, aiming another arrow at Misdadd but, before he could fire it, another gunshot echoed through the area, and a bullet zipped by Judy's right knee, tearing through the fur and flesh, but not bone.

"Arrgh!" Judy wailed, falling to the ground dropping her shotgun.

"Judy!" Nick yelled, kneeling beside her. He tried to look for where the shot had originated, but the lights suddenly went dead, leaving them in darkness, and the only sound was the crazed calls of a savage Zebra. Nick could hear gunshots above them, most likely his parents and Finnick fighting off the Trio's forces but, for now, they were alone in the dark with a wild beast. "Judy, I'm going to look for the switch, I've got better night vision than you." Nick informed. "You stay here, and if you hear Misdadd getting near, shoot her."

"O-ok…" Judy breathed, her knee pouring out with blood, it had a burning sensation to it.

"We're going to get through this, Carrots, you hear me?" Nick whispered a promise.

"I hear you," Judy smiled in the dark, before giving a bloody tasting kiss to her fox, "I love you."

Nick ignored the coppery taste of her blood and replied, "I love you too, stay here." before dashing off into the darkness. Judy focused her acute hearing on her surroundings; she could hear the fire fight between the M.M. gang and gangsters in the levels above, she could hear the maddening neighs of the now savage Misdadd as she thrashed round the large room, knocking stuff over, but then she heard something else, hooves carefully approaching her. Judy didn't hesitate pulled out the small revolver and quickly shot the remaining five bullets blindly in front of her.

"Oooh, so close," Dawn's voice cooed.

"Come and face me, you bitch." Judy spat back, rising to her feet and limping over to where she thought she dropped her shotgun.

"Not just yet." Dawn replied. All of a sudden, ten feet away, a red flare burst to life and was dropped on the concrete floor. "Come and get me, Judy."

Judy felt around on the floor, eventually finding her shotgun and flicking on the torch attachment on the underside of the barrel. Judy then heard the distinctive whistles of arrows flying through the air, while Misdadd was galloping around in the darkness. Nick was keeping the mobster busy, but time was against them. Luna was still down here at the mercy of Bellwether, she needed to keep moving. Judy limped towards the flare with the shotgun slightly shaking in her paws from the crazy amount of adrenaline running through her. Just before she reached the flare, another one lit up about fifteen feet away. Judy fired off a shot that sent her staggering back from the recoil, but was met only with a mocking laugh. Her face ached, her knee was on fire, but she hobbled on towards the next flare, leaving a trickle of blood in her wake, until another one illuminated a patch of darkness some thirty feet ahead of her. When Judy was a few yards away, a single light bulb came on above her, causing the rabbit to panic and fire off the shotgun into the darkness again and again and again, until it was empty and all she could smell was gun smoke and blood.

"All those shells, and you didn't hit me once, some cop you are." Dawn cackled from the darkness.

"Enough games, where's Luna?!" Judy demanded.

"Tsk, fine," Dawn tutted "here she is." Another light lit up, but it was from behind a glass pane Luna was slamming her fists against, but Judy couldn't hear a word the kit was saying.

"Luna!" Judy gasped, relieved to see she was unharmed, but still sick to her stomach with dread, "Let her go!" she shouted into the darkness.

"I'll let you go to her, as soon as you drop that gun." Dawn parried.

"You think I'm that stupid?" Judy crowed.

"I think you love that little pred so much, you'll do anything I say." Dawn's voice teased.

Judy knew Dawn's words rang true and she let the shotgun fall from her paws, part of her waiting for a bullet to strike her down but instead Dawn said, "I've unlocked the door, you can go in."

Judy's heart was hammering in her chest as she staggered to the large metal bow door and turned the wheel to open the door. As soon as the door was a little bit open, Judy barged in and rushed to Luna, "Sweetie!" Judy exclaimed, opening her arms as Luna leapt into her step mother's embrace.

"Judy, you're hurt." Luna fretted.

"I'll be ok, are you alright, did she hurt you?" Judy asked with haste, subconsciously marking Luna again with the scent glands in her cheeks as she hugged the little girl.

"Not yet," a voice sniggered in the doorway.

Judy barely had time to look behind her when she saw the smiling face of Dawn Bellwether closing the metal door and locking it, "Crap." Judy cursed

Dawn's malicious grin showed up on the other side of the glass, the evil ewe pressed the intercom button and half laughed, "Well, here we are, finally."

"You’ve got about five minutes before the M.M. gang reaches here and knock your teeth in." Judy blasted, still holding tightly onto Luna.

"More than enough time for this," Dawn smirked, her left eye twitching like crazy, "You see that box over there? I need you to open it."

Judy looked in the corner to see a shoebox. Judy knew whatever was inside it was not going to be nice, "Not a chance." Judy refused.

"I figured you'd say that, so that's why I led you to this room. See, this is a gas chamber, and with a push of a button, I can flood that entire room with mustard gas." Dawn revealed.

"Oh god…" Judy mumbled, remembering learning about the horror of mustard gas in history class at school.

"Open the box," Dawn repeated; "quickly now."

Judy let go of Luna for a moment and limped over to the box, lifted the lid and tossed it aside; a simple handgun laid within. She lifted it out and mumbled, "What the?"

"There is one bullet in the chamber, and that's all." Dawn informed, "It's time to see how much your love for predators stretches."

"Let us go, you jerk!" Luna hollered.

"I'll make it simple Judy; in thirty seconds, I'll press the button, filling that room up with gas unless you fire that bullet," Dawn played, "and either you will die, or that little predator will."

Judy's gut dropped with fear, she knew Dawn was being serious; she looked around the room and saw the vents the gas would come through. A million thoughts exploded in her head, ‘ _That bitch! Nick, where are you?! I can't let Luna die! It has to be me, I have to be the one who…oh hell, I'm scared. No, I have to do this! Luna has to be safe…’_

"Twenty seconds." Dawn said in a weirdly soft voice.

"Wait, just wait!" Judy yelled.

"Judy…" Luna started to whimper.

"Why are you doing this?!" Judy gave a fear fuelled scream.

"Fifteen," Dawn spoke.

"Luna," Judy knelt next to her step daughter, "I love you so much, you're one of the brightest things in my life." her voice trembling and her eyes streaming with tears.

"Judy, no," Luna began to cry.

"You need to look after your Dad, ok? He's going to need you." Judy tried to encourage, but her sobs were stopping her.

"Ten." Dawn pressured.

Judy pressed the gun to her temple then cried, "Remember, I will always love you, sweetie."

"Judy, you can't do this!" Luna screamed, her amber eyes flowing with tears of grief; she had already lost one mother and now she was going to lose another.

"Turn around and close your eyes," Judy instructed, gathering her nerve to pull the trigger.

"Five!" Dawn laughed.

"Nick…" Judy whispered, closing her eyes and remembering the first time she felt the flicker of romance for her dumb fox.

"Four!" Dawn counted down.

"I won't let you!" Luna yelled, charging at Judy, trying to grab the gun, Judy saw the move coming and pushed her stepdaughter across the room.

"Three!" Dawn shrilled.

"Stay down, Luna!" Judy sobbed, as she returned the gun to her head.

"Two!" Dawn continued.

"Goodbye." Judy uttered…

BANG!

The shot reverberated in the sealed room with an almighty crack and Judy's body fell to the ground as Luna screamed at the top of her lungs, "JUUUUUUUDDDDDY!"

"Ugh," came from the 'corpse'

"Judy?" Luna mumbled in disbelief, as Judy moved on the floor.

Judy was more surprised than anyone that she was alive. Her ears were still ringing from the loud shot, her head hurt, and the side of her temple felt wet, but cold. It wasn't blood. Judy put her paw to where the 'wound' was, then took it back and looked her paw to see a blue liquid, "No." Judy gasped, as her body began to shake.

"What were those words you said to me at the museum? ‘It's called a hustle, sweetheart’." Dawn said with a chuckle as Judy's fur stood on end.

"Judy, what's happening?" Luna asked fearfully, as the Rabbit began to foam at the mouth.

"R-RUN...!" Judy bellowed, before writhing in agony, the serum working its way through her system.

"You see, I knew you'd sacrifice yourself Judy, you're way too predictable, but now you'll spend the rest of your short, miserable life knowing that you tore this little girl to pieces." Dawn mocked.

Judy let out a primal shriek and launched herself at the glass, swiping at it, trying to claw at Bellwether, all sentience was gone, and all that was left was an animal behind those furious purple eyes. Judy let out some high pitched bunny squeals as she tried in vain to break through the glass and get Bellwether. "Judy?" a scared voice asked.

Judy's head whipped round, looking behind her with a snarl, and was met with a little kit rooted on the spot by absolute fear. The bunny got on all fours and slowly made her way to the terrified Luna, with Dawn on tenterhooks, waiting for the carnage to begin. The savage Judy got closer and closer, and all Luna could do was close her amber eyes and sob. Luna could hear the strange panting coming from Judy, the grinding of teeth and…sniffing. Luna expected a bite to the neck but, instead, felt a small tongue fluttering against her cheek. Luna opened her eyes to see her 'Savage' step mother nuzzling next to her and thumping her foot with glee. "Judy…" Luna smiled, looking the rabbit in the eye and seeing, not rage, but only affection. "You're still you!"

"WHAT?!" Dawn yelled, causing Judy to turn back and snarl at the sheep who had threatened her kit. Dawn couldn't believe what she was seeing, but she could still win. The ewe went to press the switch for the gas, but was knocked down by a massive force. In a daze, Bellwether looked up to see the rabid Misdadd on all four hooves above her with a primal fury. The sheep panicked and went to reach for Judy's dropped shotgun, but the Zebra slammed her hooves onto Dawn's spine, causing the former mayor to wail in agony. The sheep still tried to grab the gun, but Misdadd trampled her again but, this time, on her skull, causing a streak of blood to gush forth, with Dawn blasting, "Nooo!", but her voice was cut off by another slam of the hooves on her head, then again and then again, until her head was completely crushed and all that was left was bits of skull, brain matter and bloodstained wool. Luckily, this was out of view from Luna

Suddenly, the lights in the bunker flicked back on and a brace of sleeper arrows hit Misdadd in the rump, and the rabid crime mistress fell into the bloody pool she’d created. Nick, Marian, Robin and Finnick appeared from the left side of the glass pane. "Oh thank god!" Nick yelled as he saw Luna and Judy embracing in the chamber, not caring his feet were getting soaked by Bellwether's blood.

"Dad!" Luna celebrated, still cuddling the animalistic Judy, who looked at the faces cautiously.

"What's wrong with Judy?" Robin asked, pressing the comms button, noticing the bunny looked 'off'.

"She got blue stuff on her, and she's acting weird." Luna answered, pointing to the gun and remnants of the serum on the floor.

"Night Howler!" Marian realised, "But she's ok?"

Nick was crying with relief as he said with a smile, "Night Howler makes mammals go back to their basic instinct. Judy’s base instinct was to protect her kit…let me go in alone, hopefully, she'll recognise me as her mate from her scent marker."

"Right," Finnick nodded, grimacing at the gory corpse of Dawn Bellwether.

Nick pulled the hood down from the borrowed tunic and opened the door to the gas chamber. He took a careful step in and instructed, "Luna, stay still, we need to keep Judy calm."

"What's wrong with her?" Luna asked in a worried tone.

"That blue stuff makes mammals act weird, but she'll be ok once she gets the antidote." Nick answered, taking another cautious step to the pair.

Judy began to growl as Nick approached,to which Luna soothed, "It's ok, it's just Dad," while stroking Judy atop of her head.

Nick got a sleeper arrow out of his quiver and knelt down beside Judy and said softly, "You did it, Carrots, you saved Luna." before Nick sneakily pierced the sleeper arrow into Judy's thigh, sending the hero Bunny into slumber within a second.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ So what did you guys think of the final showdown? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Ok so there is only the Epilogue left, I won't spoil anything so please review and c ya soon...)
> 
>  


	31. Epilogue- one year later

****   


** Epilogue - One Year Later **

The smell of engine oil and old wood brought back a host of memories for Judy, as she clambered up the ladder to the upper level of one of the many barns at the Hopps farm. She used to play cops and robbers with her siblings all the time as a kit but, right now, the twenty six year old bunny needed a moment to relax in the barn. It had been a very hectic day. As soon as she stepped off the train at Bunny Burrow station, it had been a nonstop series of hugs, catching up with relatives, and being overstuffed with the mountains of food that had been prepared for the massive party that had arrived from Zootopia including; herself, Nick, Luna, Marian, Robin, Little John, Jack and Skye.

Judy could hear the chatter of the hundreds of rabbits and a few other mammals outside, where dozens upon dozens of picnic tables had been put out by the Hopps family. But, right now, she sat down and let her legs swing back and forth over the platform, trying to ignore the pain in her right knee that had been troublesome for the cop ever since the raid in Sherwood just over a year ago. She closed her eyes and inhaled the nostalgic aroma of her childhood. As much as Judy loved Zootopia's energetic buzz, a part of her always longed for these quiet moments in the countryside. She kept her eyes closed for a couple of minutes, and her mind was just beginning to switch off into slumber mode, when she heard small footfalls on the level below her. Judy opened her eyes to see Luna trying to clamber up onto one of the tractors, but the steps were too high for the seven year olds little legs.

"Y'know, there's a trick to getting on those things." Judy called out, startling the little vixen.

Luna stopped what she was doing and turned around, looking around for Judy. When she couldn't see her, the kit asked out loud, "Where are you?"

"Up here, sweetie." Judy informed, standing up. The beautiful bunny was in a pair of denim shorts and strappy top that exposed her toned tummy

Luna, who was in a denim dress, looked up to the higher level of the barn and smiled, "What are you doing up there?"

"This used to be my old chill out spot when I was kid." Judy replied, "And anyway, that's not how I used to get on a tractor."

"How else are you supposed to climb on one?" Luna shrugged. The seven year old had grown a few inches in the last year, but it would still be a while before she'd be taller than Judy.

"Like this." Judy grinned, before jumping onto a ceiling beam with little effort.

"Be careful!" Luna barked, her caring nature apparent.

"Relax," Judy brushed off, strolling across the narrow beam to get above the tractor, "I've done this hundreds of time."

"If I did that, you'd be worrying about me falling." Luna pointed out, crossing her arms in a very parental way.

"True," Judy conceded, cockily putting her paws behind her head, "but I'm a very athletic bunny who survived the ZPD academy, there used to be this ice wa-" KWEW! A mother barn owl screeched and flew at Judy, the rabbit not noticing she was approaching a nest of owl chicks. "Whoa!" Judy exclaimed, her arms flailing as the owl tried to peck at her.

"Judy!" Luna yelled.

"I'm not after your chicks!" Judy seethed trying to swat the bird of prey away, but the owl managed to scratch her with her talons on her arm, which caused Judy to lose her footing, "Ah crap," she mumbled as she began to fall, luckily the rabbit also happened to be adept at landing on her feet.

"Mom!" Luna yipped in panic as Judy fell from the beam.

Judy landed with both feet on the dusty ground of the barn, with the precision of a gymnast, and even raised her arms in the air and celebrated, "Ta-da!"

"That was a dumb thing to do; you could've made your knee worse." Luna chastised, marching over to Judy.

"Easy, 'Doctor' Wilde," Judy chuckled as the kit grabbed her arm and inspected where the owl had scratched her ‘ _Wait a sec,’_ Judy suddenly thought, her brain processing what was just said, ‘ _what did she just call me_?’

"You're only bleeding a little, but we should still get this cleaned." Luna noted, inspecting the broken skin under the fur. The kit had recently begun an obsession of becoming a doctor, which Judy couldn't help but relate with.

"Luna…" Judy spoke softly, unsure of how to bring up the topic of the word she just heard.

"Does the big house have a first aid kit?" Luna questioned, still looking at the cut.

"Sweetie, what did you just say?" Judy asked cautiously.

"I asked if there's a first aid kit around." Luna reminded.

"No, before that, as I was falling, you called me something…" Judy opened, subconsciously taking hold of Luna's paw.

Luna let out a small gasp, as if realising what she had said, she then responded swiftly, "I'm sorry!"

Judy's heart melted at the flustered expression on the girl's face as she requested with the gentlest of tones, "Please say it again."

Luna looked at Judy with unsure amber eyes; she wrapped her long fluffy tail around herself and hugged it nervously as she repeated, "Mom."

Judy began to smile as she felt the warm tears of joy roll down her cheeks as soon as Luna said that simple three letter word that meant so much, "Oh Luna." Judy whispered.

"Sorry!" Luna blasted with anxiety, hugging her own tail tighter.

"Why are you sorry?" Judy eased.

"It's…its just cause’ I didn't know if it was ok to call you that…" Luna admitted, looking down at her feet. "I was playing with Olivia last week at the park and when she asked about you, I called you Mom, like it was normal."

"Oh sweetie," Judy gushed with glee, her heart swelling.

"Victoria will always be my Mommy but, I mean, if it's ok, can you be my Mom?" Luna asked, trying her upmost to sound serious, yet her jitters let the question come out very shyly.

Judy immediately scooped Luna up and hugged the kit, while simultaneously marking her with her scent, "Of course I can be, and you’re my daughter, aren't you?" Judy tried to crack a joke, but her tears were stopping her from sounding comical.

"Why are you crying?" Luna asked, obviously worried.

"Grownups cry when they're really happy." Judy answered, still embracing the small vixen.

"Grownups are weird." Luna repeated her mantra.

Judy pulled back a little from the hug so she could see Luna's face and smiled, "Can you call me it again? It feels good."

Luna laughed before saying, "You're so silly Mom."

Judy's heart was ripe enough to burst. She kissed her daughter on the cheek and said with heart, "I love you, sweetie."

"I love you, too, Mom." Luna reciprocated.

Judy wiped away her tears and beamed, "So, Dr. Wilde, how are you going to fix this?” holding up her barely cut arm.

Five minutes later, Judy sat at the kitchen table in her parent's house, while Luna cleaned the wound with anti-septic and put a dressing on it from the first aid box laid out on the table. Truth be told, this was all unnecessary, as Judy would've normally just have stuck a band aid on the small cut, but Luna enjoyed playing doctor so much it would be just cruel to refuse her. Luna had a career day at school, a few weeks previous, where the kids brought in a parent or guardian to talk about their jobs. Nick had gone along and was the only parent who was a cop, which wasn't that surprising seeing as it was a private school. But on that day, one of her classmates' father came and talked about his job as a surgeon, and Luna was enthralled from the get go. Ever since then, Luna had started playing with her toy doctor kit a lot more, watched hospital dramas on the TV, and even looked after her Granddad Robin when he had the flu a week earlier. Judy saw the same determination in Luna's eyes that she had when she wanted to become a cop, and was certain the kit would achieve her goal, "All done," Luna announced with a satisfied look on her muzzle.

"Thanks, sweetie, you're a live saver." Judy praised.

Suddenly, three black rabbit kits, which looked identical, poked their head around the doorframe in a nice pile, the top one playfully shouted, "Luna come play hide and seek with us!"

"Can I, Mom?" Luna asked. She knew she didn't need to ask, but the girl just wanted an excuse to call Judy 'Mom' again.

"Go ahead, but stay away from the tractor barn, that owl is still around." Judy cautioned as Luna ran off with the other children.

Judy was putting the first aid kit away when Heather and Skye walked into the kitchen, already deep in conversation, "Thanks for lending me these pregnancy books, Heather, I appreciate it." Skye said, carrying half a dozen paperbacks.

"You're welcome; I've had so many kits now that those books are useless to me. I can give birth in the morning, and be back in the field for the afternoon." Heather commented, going over to the fridge and grabbing a soda.

"You're kidding, right?" Skye chuckled. She was unsure if the muscle bound doe was being serious or not. The snow white vixen placed the books on the kitchen table and her paw instantly going to the small baby bump showing through her blue summer dress. She had begun to show last month, and was so thrilled to be finally becoming a mother after nearly a year of IVF treatment.

"She's being serious, three years ago she had a litter of four kits around nine a.m., then she was helping in the fields by the mid afternoon." Judy clarified, her face lit up with a smile.

"It was harvest time." Heather justified, switching on the kettle to make Skye some oolong tea that was good for her and the baby.

Skye tittered at the story, and was about to ask for more details, when she clocked onto Judy's joyous face and commented, "You seem happy."

"Well, I got a reason to be." Judy bragged wistfully.

"Pray tell little sister." Heather played along.

"Luna's decided to stop calling me Judy and start calling me 'Mom'." Judy told with a radiant smile.

"Oh my god, Judy, that's fantastic." Skye congratulated, grabbing Judy's paw in solidarity.

Heather went over and punched Judy in the arm affectionately, "So, how does it feel to finally be called the M word?" the chocolate brown bunny asked.

"I can't explain it that well; it's like a warm hug." Judy tried to convey what she was feeling.

Heather’s smile soon faded and was replaced with an intrigued look; the farmer tilted her head before requesting, "Hey, Jude, stand up for a sec."

"Ok." Judy shrugged, obeying her sister.

Heather then began to circle Judy, looking her up and down while making a "Hmmm" noise.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Skye asked the hostess.

"Just give me a sec." Heather delayed, as her eyes scanned her younger sister intently, with Judy staring back awkwardly, wondering what the heck was going on.

Then, Heather sniffed Judy for a few seconds before giving a smug look, causing Judy to ask, "What?"

"Don't act like you don't know." Heather replied "How long were you planning on keeping it a secret?"

"Secret? You've lost me." Judy reacted with a perplexed face matching Skye's muzzle.

"Don't play innocent; you've gained a bit of weight, which you never do, and you reek of hormones." Heather pointed out.

"Hey, I have not put on weight." Judy groused, inspecting herself

"I'm sorry, what's going on?" Skye asked, trying to fathom the situation.

"Judy's got a bun in the oven." Heather revealed with a sure smile.

There was a brief interlude of silence, in which Skye's jaw dropped and Judy's face scrunched up with puzzlement, before the grey rabbit laughed off, "I'm not pregnant."

"Are you sure? Cos' I'm always right when guessing a doe is in the family way." Heather grinned.

"I'm not pregnant, I would know if I was." Judy stated, "Besides, the odds of me having a baby with Nick are ridiculously slim."

"About as slim as a rabbit getting a fox pregnant?" Skye asked, rhetorically, and with a happy look on her face, the arctic vixen was now scanning her friend, and it was evident that Judy had put on a little bit of weight.

"You've had IVF." Judy countered, but her mind was on fire with the possibility that she may be pregnant.

"Remember, this isn't my first pregnancy." Skye reminded.

"Look, I'm not pregnant." Judy dismissed.

"Ok answer me this, and answer honestly," Heather opened "in the last couple of weeks, have you and tall, red and handsome had a lot more nookie?"

"Heather!" Judy gasped, the visible skin of her ears going pink.

"Yes or no?" Heather reiterated.

Judy had to think for a second. On average, her and Nick made love two to three times a week, but last week it must've been at least six times, and this week eight times,  including the risky little session in the shower this morning. "…Yeah." Judy confessed.

"You got the preggo hornies. Ever since I got pregnant, I haven't been able to keep my paws off of Jack." Skye admitted.

"I get the same thing whenever I've got a litter on the way," Heather concurred "Judy, it's time to face facts; you're knocked up."

"You're just being illogical, you've got no proof." Judy scoffed.

"Fine, Miss Smarty Pants, go to the bathroom, there's some pregnancy tests in the medicine cabinet, take one and settle this argument." Heather proposed, crossing her arms.

"Fine, but when I come back with a negative test, you've got to admit that your silly superstations are wrong." Judy said defiantly.

"Ok." Heather agreed, confident she was right as Judy marched out of the kitchen and towards the bathroom.

Five minutes later, a dumbfounded looking Judy stepped back into the kitchen with a capped pregnancy test in her left paw, it had two lines in the little window, "I'm pregnant." Judy whispered, but both Skye and Heather heard her.

"I told you so." Heather practically sang before hugging her little sister, "Congrats, Jude."

"I'm so happy for you!" Skye gushed, joining the hug.

"I…just can't believe it." Judy uttered, she was smiling, but it was dazed from the shock of the news.

"You better believe it, kid, cos' soon enough you'll be showing." Heather encouraged, placing a soft paw on her sister's exposed tummy, "You're already a great mom to Luna, so I know you'll be amazing."

"But, say goodbye to your abs." Skye sighed, "I already miss mine."

"But, how will this work with my job?! Will I have just one kit, or a whole litter?! Will it be a fox or a bunny?!" Judy panicked, already worrying about the wellbeing of her future child, or children.

"Hush now, getting yourself worked up won't help. When you get back to Zootopia, I'll put you in touch with my Doctor, she's great." Skye assured.

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers," Judy panted with a smile "I'm pregnant; Luna's going to be a big sister."

"I'm going to be a big sister?!" an excited voice squealed.

The three women's faces froze. They slowly turned around to see Luna Elise Wilde, wearing the biggest smile possible, "Uh oh." Judy mumbled, knowing how much a blabbermouth the little vixen could be.

"I'm going to tell everyone, they'll be so happy!" Luna broadcasted, with an even broader grin, turning on her heel to dash out the door.

Luckily, Heather read her niece's movements and bolted towards the fox kit and scooped her up, "Easy there, Lu." Heather calmed, using a nickname.

"But, this is great, everyone should know!" Luna beamed.

"Yes, but, don't you think your Dad should know first?" Skye reasoned.

"I guess." Luna accepted, before smiling again towards Judy, "Is it true Mom? Are you having a baby?"

Judy's heart was swelling again at being called 'Mom' as she lifted Luna out of Heather's arms and set her down on the floor, "Yes, sweetie, and I know you're going to be a great big sister to whoever is in here." Judy replied, pointing at her abdomen.

Luna took a step towards Judy, and said directly to her stomach, "Hello in there, I'm your big sister, Luna."

"You’re already talking to your sibling?" Judy laughed.

"Or siblings, don't bunnies have litters?" Luna figured, her mind racing with possibilities.

"We won't know until Judy has a scan." Skye answered the kit.

"So, when are we going to tell Dad, now? Let's tell him now!" Luna's voice was going at top speed.

"I guess we should…but, everyone's around. I kind of want it just to be your Dad, me and you." Judy spoke her mind. The thought of revealing her pregnancy to the hundreds of her relatives seemed daunting and, more importantly, unfair to Nick.

"So, we need to get him alone." Luna mused, trying to think of an idea.

Judy spotted some wrapping paper in the corner of the kitchen, a common place item for a lapin home, given the size of rabbit families and the resulting frequency of birthdays. Judy turned to Heather and asked in playful tone, "Mind if I borrow that gift wrap?"

000

"Ok, ok." Little John panted, his paws clutching his very full stomach, "That's enough chow for me, thank you kindly."

"Oh, but John, you haven't tried my vanilla and honey cake yet." Bonnie fussed. The Hopps matriarch had created a whole smorgasbord of honey based food in honour of a grizzly bear coming to the homestead.

"Bon, if that poor guy sticks another crumb in his mouth, I'm sure the poor fella' will burst." Stu chuckled, on his seventh beer of the day.

"And this is the bear that cleaned out an entire seafood restaurant in Hong Kong." Robin laughed along, with a glass of red wine in hand.

"You’ve been to Asia?" Stu asked Robin with a typical drunk cackle.

"The question should be ‘where haven't we been?’." Robin answered with a rhetorical question.

Marian, who had been playing with one of the many Hopps kits, strolled over and stood beside Bonnie and asked in jest, "What did you do to John?"

"I just gave him some countryside hospitality, that's all." Bonnie smirked, glad that her recipes had gone down as a treat.

"Too…much." Little John groaned.

"You're getting old, Johnny boy." Robin teased his best friend.

"I'd give you a certain hand gesture, Rob, but there are ladies present." Little John fired back, his comment causing a ripple of laughter among the seniors of the crowd.

Bonnie went to clean up some of the plates from the tables and Marian began to help, to which the hostess said, "Marian you relax, you're our guest."

Marian gave a sharp "Ha!" before adding, "Last time I checked, we're family, so everyone chips in with cleaning up."

Bonnie smiled at the vixen that she once reviled and said, "Well, there's a mountain of dishes that need doing in the sink."

"Ain't that what kids are for?" Marian joked, which caused a long laugh between the two grandmothers.

"Help!" a voice yelped, and the elders turned to see Jack Savage (Not in a designer suit, for once) fleeing a half a dozen rabbit kits with water pistols.

"Ok kids, stop bothering Jack, you're supposed to be nice to visitors." Bonnie chastised her grandchildren.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hopps." Jack said, looking down at his soggy clothes.

"Aww, little Jack's all wet." Marian mocked, pinching her godson's cheek.

"Marian, quit it." Jack moaned like a stroppy teen, pushing the vixen away.

"You city bunnies make me laugh," Stu laughed, "so prim and proper."

"I'm not prim; I'm a federal agent with combat experience." Jack tried to big himself up.

"Easy, Mr. Savage, you might get a big head." a loving voice bated.

Everyone turned to see Skye, Heather, Judy and Luna approaching from the big house. Jack smiled at the blooming vixen, "My apologies, Mrs. Savage, I'll behave in the future."

Judy's soul was elated at seeing the newly married couple; she could picture their wedding clear in her mind. It was a Saturday morning, two months before, and Jack had rung Nick's smartphone around 7a.m. saying that he needed all of Nick's family at city hall for 9a.m. that morning. When Nick, Judy and Luna arrived at the grand building they saw the familiar face of Mayor Trevor Moon, urging them to come inside and, more importantly, into his office. When the three had arrived, they saw the Priderock family, the Dawsons, Robin and Marian, plus Little John, the MCB agents Patel and Rivers, and the newly engaged couple of Mason Bogo and Benjamin Clawhauser. Before anyone could ask what was going on, Jack burst into the room, marched up to Nick, and asked if he would be his best man, then, three seconds later, Skye (in a simplistic, but gorgeous, white wedding dress) entered the room and asked Judy to be her maid of honour. Trevor Moon himself performed the wedding ceremony and wished the couple all the happiness in the world, It was at the reception that Skye revealed she was with child, the doctor had told them to expect a single kit, it was going to be a girl and her name was already chosen; Hannah Marian Savage.

"Oh Jack, your mother would be so happy to see you now." Marian commented, as she observed the two with tears in her navy eyes.

"No tears." Jack cut off, "This weekend is for chilling out, not moping."

Meanwhile, back in the present, Judy asked, with slight apprehension, "Umm, where's Nick?" Luna was standing beside her, holding tightly onto a gift wrapped box.

"He got mobbed by your siblings, nieces and nephews, so that tuckered him out. He said he was going to take a nap in the orchard." Robin explained, pointing to the peach orchard about half a mile away across the field.

"Thanks." Judy replied before walking towards the orchard, with Luna in tow.

000

Nick was in his own dreamland as he dozed on the makeshift table of logs and a single board; he was a kit again in Sherwood, playing with Jack and Finnick. He was lost in nostalgic happiness when a paw shook him from his slumber. Nick opened one eye to see two out of the three most important women in his life, Judy and Luna, smiling down at him, "Hey there, looks like two angels are keeping an eye on me." the fox charmed.

"Har har," Judy rolled her eyes.

"Wakey, wakey, Dad, we have a present for you." Luna tempted, still holding onto the box topped off with a bow.

Nick sat up and yawned, "Wasn't it my birthday a few months ago?"

"Oh, come on, Mom wrapped it and everything." Luna informed, putting her paws on her hips.

Nick's emerald eyes went wide at the word 'Mom' and he voiced his bewilderment by repeating the word, "Mom?"

"That's right, I'm Mom." Judy boasted, looking down at her grinning daughter.

"When did this happen?" Nick asked happily, itching for details.

"Quiet, Dad, Mom's got a gift for you." Luna insisted, handing the wrapped gift to Judy, who sat on the makeshift table top.

"Oh, really?" Nick replied, standing up and stretching after his nap.

Judy held the box in her paws and beckoned softly, "Open it."

Nick saw a peculiar combination of happiness and seriousness in his girlfriend's eyes, so he obeyed and used his claws to rip through the paper and ribbons surrounding the box, all the while thinking what on earth could be in the box. He removed the lid and his breath caught in his throat as he gazed on its contents. As Nick was reaching into the box, his eyes were already leaking tears of sheer happiness. He held the positive pregnancy test in his paw and marvelled at the two lines in the window, "Please…" Nick gasped, "Please tell me this is real."

Judy whose amethyst eyes were falling free with tears, smiled at her dumb fox, "It's real, I'm pregnant."

"I'm going to be a big sister!" Luna roared with joy.

Nick looked at Judy and Luna, feeling sure in the fact that he had never felt so happy in his entire life as he did right then. He opened his arms and both of them fell into his heartfelt embrace, all three of them knowing what is was to feel loved.

** THE END. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN/ It's over isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over?...Yes folks this is the end of Take a Stand but don't worry the sequel Star of Ceretais is already released on tumblr and fanfiction.net and the edited version will be coming on AO3 soon, I hope you enjoy it. A massive thank you to Kage Husha for editing this, you really are awesome. Please leave one final review and c ya soon...)


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